*     JAN  M  7  1911      *) 


Wonderful  Discovery 
The  Book  of  Job. 


BEHEMOTH  ^  LEVIATHAN 

Found  to  Refer  to 

The   Stationary   and   Self-propelling 

Steam  Engines 


OF  OUR  DAYS, 

BY 

V 

SAMUEL 

O.  TRIJDELL. 

PHILADELPHIA: 

AVIt  P^IMTWO  Co. 

,  3941-43-45  Mamit  St., 

1890. 

CoPYRICxHT,    1890. 


Alt  Rio-hts  Resr;rved. 


TO 

Our  Railroad -and  Steamship  Companies 

This  Book 

[S  respectfully  dedicated. 


PRKKACE^. 


In  this  age  of  wonderful  discoveries  when  the 
impossible  seems  to  be  a  thing  of  the  past,  and 
the  unknowable  but  a  word  which  is  daily  losing 
its  meaning,  I  hope  I  will  not  be  considered 
presumptuous  for  claiming  to  have  discovered, 
in  the  Holy  Bible,  a  most  extraordinary  and 
exact  description  of  our  modern  steam  engine, 
with  details  of  its  various  parts  and  of  many  of 
its  peculiar  characteristics. 

The  description  I  allude  to  is,  that  of  the  be- 
hemoth and  leviathan^  found  in  the  latter  part  of 
that  most  ancient  book  called  The  Book  of 
Job. 

Job,  is  said  to  have  been  a  descendant  of  Esau, 
and  to  have  lived  in  the  land  of  Uz,  near  the 
borders  of  Arabia. 

Chronologists  do  not  agree  as  to  the  exact 
time  in  which  he  lived,  but  it  may  be  safely 
computed  to  have  been  about  3500  years  ago. 
He  is  represented  as  having  been  a  most  right- 
eous and  learned  man ;  and  to  have  experienced 
many  severe  trials  and  acute  sufferings,  with  an 
unparalleled  patience  and  resignation  to  the  will 
of  God. 

Towards  the  last  of  his  trials,  when  even  his 

(5) 


6  PREFACE. 

friends  had  become  his  persecutors,  the  Lord  Him- 
self appears  unto  Job  and  consoles  him  by  rebuking 
his  enemies,  and,  as  a  vindication  of  his  words 
and  conduct,  shows  him  many  of  the  wondrous 
works  of  creation,  and,  among  other  things,  calls 
his  special  attention  to  two  most  •  wonderful  and 
powerfully  built  monsters  called,  Behemoth,  and 
Leviathan. 

Up  to  the  present  the  name,  as  well  as  the 
individuality  of  these  supposed  animals^  has  been 
problematical. 

Our  greatest  exegetists,  after  having  written 
volumes  on  this  subject,  have  been  forced  to 
acknowledge  that,  after  all  their  careful  investi- 
gations, they  entertained  serious  doubts  as  to 
what  behemoth  or  leviathan  was. 

The  book  of  Job,  and  especially  the  description 
of  these  monsters,  is  conceded  to  be  the  most  diffi- 
cult and  mysterious  of  any  in  the  Hebrew  Bible. 

Many  have  supposed  Job  to  be  but  a  fictitious 
personage,  and  have  taken  special  advantage  of 
the  many  extraordinary  assertions  concerning 
these  monsters,  to  prove  that  they  were  fabulous, 
and  could  have  had  no  possible  existence  except 
in  the  mind  of  the  superstitious  and  ignorant. 

To  this  I  would  say  that,  I  am  confident  of 
having  found  the  key  to  this  most  aticient  and 
most  extraordinary  prophecy,  and  of  being  able 
to  show  that,  far  from  being  fabulous,  these 
fiery  monsters  are  in  our  very  midst  this  day, 
full  of  life  and  power,  and  faithfully  administer- 
ing to  our  pleasures  and  daily  wants. 


PRRFACE.  7 

In  order  to  afford  the  reader  a  ready  means,  of 
investigating  for  himself,  and  at  the  same  time 
to  avoid,  as  much  as  possible,  too  frequent  quo- 
tations in  the  body  of  the  work,  I  thought  it 
well  to  place  at  the  beginning  of  my  review  of 
each  verse,  the  full  text  in  Hebrew  and  Latin, 
then  the  English  version.  Opposite,  each  He- 
brew word  will  be  found  my  own  literal  ren- 
dering of  it,  followed  by  that  given  to  the  same 
word  by  the  Vulgate.  Thus  the  student  will 
have  prominently  before  him,  a  ready  means  of 
comparing  my  own  translation  with  the  original, 
and  with  the  Latin  and  English  versions. 

I  will  occasionally  refer  to  important  passages 
in  the  Greek  version  of  the  Septuagint,  and 
quote  from  well-known  authors  on  the  subject, 
as  the  case  may  require. 

I  have  avoided,  as  far  as  the  scope  of  this  work 
would  allow,  all  lengthy  expositions  or  discus- 
sions which  are  not  of  absolute  importance  to  a 
fair  elucidation  of  the  point  in  question,  and  of 
all  such  grammatical  explanations  as  would  be  of 
no  interest  to  the  general  reader. 

As  none  of  our  versions  of  the  original  text 
are  considered  to  have  been  inspired,  the  reader 
will  understand  that,  the  remarks  and  criticisms 
which  I  have  found  it  necessary  to  make,  con- 
cerning the  renderings  of  certain  difficult  pas- 
sages in  old  and  time-honored  versions,  are  not 
intended  to  cast  the  least  shadow  of  a  doubt  upon 
the  inspiration  of  the  original  text,  nor  to  be  con- 
sidered as  a  want  of  respect  either   for  these  vn  - 


8  PREFACE. 

uable  works  or  their  authors,  to  whom  I  feel 
much  indebted  for  the  elucidati'on  of  many  diffi- 
cult points. 

In  order  to  make  my  translations  and  com- 
ments harmonize  better  with  the  reading  of  the 
original  and  with  that  of  various  .versions  of  it, 
I  have  found  it  necessary  to  adopt  the  masculine 
gender,  instead  of  the  feminine,  which  is  generally 
made  use  of  in  speaking  of  >the  locomotive  or 
engine. 

I  trust  that  my  humble  efforts  will  add  to  the 
joy  of  all  who  believe  in  the  inspired  word  of 
God  and  of  His  Prophets. 

May  the  ancient  Sons  of  Israel  be  proud  that 
their  ancestors  have  handed  down  to  us,  so  in- 
tact, such  an  extraordinary  document. 


A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

IN 

THE  BOOK  OF  JOB. 


During  leisure  hours,  some  twelve  years  past, 
while  searching  for  a  key  to  the  mysteries  of  the 
revelations  of  St.  John,  I  came  to  the  great  "  Sea 
Dragon,"  with  many  heads  and  horns. 

I  had  followed  up,  throughout  the  Bible,  a  num- 
ber of  passages  in  which  mention  was  made  of  some 
such  monster,  when  ^  came  to  the  description,  in 
the  Book  of  Job,  of  the  mysterious  Behemoth  and 
Leviathan. 

The  more  I  pondered  over  the  singular  descrip- 
tion of  these  monsters,  the  more  I  became  con- 
vinced that  it  applied  to  some  creatures  with  far 
greater  power  and  qualities  than  flesh  and  blood 
are  generally  heir  to. 

I  was  astonished  to  find  that  the  bones  of  the 
behemoth  were  said  to  be  tubes  of  brass  and  ba7's 
of  iron;  and  that,  contrary  to  all  other  animals, 
his  strength  depended  on  the  firmness  of  his 
flanks.  I  wondered  that  it  should  be  said  of  an 
animal  that  "his  breath  kindles  coals  of  fire;" 
and,  "through  his  nostrils  goes  forth  smoke  as 
from  a  pot  of  water  heated  and  boiling." 

This    direct    reference    to  steam    struck    me  at 

'0) 


lO  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

once  as  the  probable  solution  of  the  mystery.  I 
pursued  this  idea  throughout  the  description,  and 
was  greatly  surprised  at  the  many  points  of  simi- 
larity existing  between  these  monsters  and  our 
modern  steam  engine,  specially  when  it  is  said  of 
the  leviathan  that  ''through  his  mouth  leap  forth 
flames  and  sparks  of  fire,"  and  further  on,  where 
the  same  monster  is  represented  as  causing  the 
deep  sea  to  boil  like  a  pot. 

The  reference  of  these  passages  respectively  to 
the  steam  locomotive  and  to  the  steamship  seemed 
quite  evident  to  me. 

I  subsequentl}'-  read  over  the  works  of  several 
commentators  on  this  description;  but,  to  my  sur- 
prise and  dismay,  I  did  not  find  a  single  word  in 
their  learned  and  elaborate  works  which  might 
corroborate  my  views  or  encQurage  me  to  pursue 
any  further  my  new  ideas. 

Later  on  I  procured  the  Greek  version  of  the 
Septuagint,  and  found  that  their  interpretation  of 
several  difficult  passages  greatly  favored  my  views, 
specially  where  they  mention  that  the  leviathan 
turns ^  or  propels  himself,  (xli.  25.) 

But  in  order  to  decide  for  myself  between  a  va- 
riety of  opinions  and  translations  which  could 
not  be  otherwise  than  biased  by  the  preconceived 
ideas  of  the  various  authors,  I  found  it  absolutely 
necessary  to  acquire  some  knowledge  of  the  He- 
brew, being  the  original  language  in  which  this 
description  was  written. 

After  having  carefully  read  over  the  original, 
and  closely  investigated  the  meaning  of  each  word, 


IN   THE    BOOK    OK   JOB.  H 

I  became  convinced  that  both  descriptions  referred 
to  our  modem  steam  power  in  its  various  applica- 
tions. 

That  the  reader  may  have  an  idea  of  the  un- 
certainty which  has,  up  to  the  present,  existed  as 
to  the  nature  of  the  so-called  behemoth,  I  will 
quote  a  variety  of  conjectures  concerning  the  indi- 
viduality of  this  monster. 

Albert  Barnes,  in  his  notes  (Vol.  II.  p.  267  ^ 
says :  "  A  variety  of  opinions  has  been  entertained 
in  regard  to  the  animal  referred  to  here,  though 
the  main  inquiry  has  related  to  the  question 
whether  the  elephant  or  the  hippopotamus  is  de- 
noted. Since  the  times  of  Bochart,  who  has  gone 
into  an  extended  examination  of  the  subject  (Pli- 
eroz.  P.  ii.  L.  ii.  c.  xv.),  the  common  opinion  has 
been  that  the  latter  is  here  referred  to.  As  a 
specime7i  of  the  method  of  interpreting  the  Bible 
which  has  prevailed,  and  as  a  proof  of  the  slow  pro- 
gress which  has  been  made  towards  settling  the 
meaning  of  a  difficult  passage,  we  may  refer  to 
some  of  the  opinions  which  have  been  entertained 
in  regard  to  this  animal.  They  are  chiefly  taken 
from  the  collection  of  opinions  made  by  Schultens, 
in  loco.     Among  them  are  the  following: 

"i.  That  wild  animals  in  general  are  denoted. 
This  appears  to  have  been  the  opinion  of  the 
translators  of  the  Septuagint. 

"2.  Some  of  the  Rabbins  suppose  that  a  huge 
monster  was  referred  to,  that  ate  every  day  '  the 
grass  of  a  thousand  mountains.' 

"3.  It  has  been  held  by  some  that  the  wild  bull 


12  A   WONDERFUL  ,  DISCOVERY 

was  here  meant.  Sanctius,  particularly,  eutertained 
this  view. 

"4.  The  common  opinion,  until  the  times  of 
Bochart,  has  been  that  the  elephant  was  meant. 
See  the  particular  authors  who  have  held  this 
opinion  enumerated  in  Schultens.. 

"  5.  Bochart,  maintained,  and  since  his  time  the 
opinion  has  been  generally  acquiesced  in,  that  the 
river-horse  of  the  Nile,  or  the  hippopotamus,  was 
the  one  intended.  This  opinion  he  has  defended  at 
length  in  Hieroz.  P.  ii.  L.  v.  c.  xv. 

*'6.  Others  have  held  that  some  '  hieroglj'-phic 
monster'  was  represented,  or  that  the  whole  de- 
scription was  an  emblematic  representation,  though 
without  any  living  original. 

"  Amoiig  those  who  held  this  sentiment,  some  have 
supposed  that  it  is  designed  to  be  emblematic  of  the 
old  serpent ;  others,  of  the  corrupt  and  fallen  nature 
of  man ;  others,  that  the  proud,  the  cruel,  and  the 
bloody  are  denoted ;  some  of  the  '  Fathers '  supposed 
that  the  devil  was  here  emblematically  represented 
by  the  behemoth  and  leviathan;  and  one  writer 
has  maintained  that  it  had  reference  to  Christ." 

To  these  may  be  added  the  more  recent 
opinion,  that  the  behemoth  here  described  is  at 
present  a  genus  altogether  extinct,  like  the  mam- 
moth, and  other  animals  that  have  been  discov- 
ered in  fossil  remains. 

It  is  evident,  from  the  conflicting  views  of  these 
learned  doctors,  that  there  must  be  something  very 
mysterious  and  extraordinary  about  the  behemoth 
of  Job. 


IN    THE    IJOOK    OF   JOB.  1 3 

Even  later  commentators  do  not  seem  to  have 
made  any  progress  towards  solving  this  most  an- 
cient problem. 

Adam  Clarke,  in  his  well  known  commentary 
(Vol.  II.  p.  io8),  alluding  to  the  name  and  indi^ 
viduality  of  behemoth,  remarks  that  "  from  the 
name^  or  the  understanding  had  of  it  by  the  an- 
cient versions,  we  can  derive  no  assistance  relative 
to  the  individuality  of  the  animal  in  question  ;  and 
can  only  hope  to  find  what  it  is  by  the  characteris- 
tics it  bears  in  the  description  here  given  of  it. 

"These  having  been  carefully  considered,  and 
deeply  investigated,  both  critics  and  naturalists 
have  been  led  to  the  conclusion  that  either  the 
elephant^  or  the  hippopotamus  or  river-horse^  is  the 
animal  in  question  ;  and,  on  comparing  the  charac- 
teristics between  these  two,  the  balance  is  consid- 
erably in  favor  of  the  hippopotamus.  But  even 
here  there  are  still  some  difficulties,  as  there  are 
some  parts  of  the  description  which  do  not  well 
suit  even  the  hippopotamus ;  and,  therefore,  I  have 
my  doubts  whether  either  of  the  animals  above 
is  that  in  question,  or  whether  any  animal  now 
in  existence  be  that  described  by  the  Almighty." 

The  great  objection  to  the  above  animals  being 
the  ones  alluded  to,  is,  that  their  tails  are  remark- 
abl}''  short,  only  about  a  foot  long,  whilst  that  of 
the  behemoth  is  said  to  be  enormous,  resembling  a 
tall  cedar  tree. 

In  its  proper  place  I  will  show  to  what  this 
enormous  tail  refers,  and  how  natural  and  neces- 
sary it  is  to  our  modem  behemoth. 


14  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

As  to  the  leviathan^  there  has  been  no  less  con- 
jecture,   concerning   its  name  and  identity^  than  ^ 
those  of  behemoth. 

As  its  name  was  never  satisfactorily  explained, 
most  versions  retained  the  original  Hebrew  word. 
The  Septuagiut,  though,  rendered  it  dragon.  It 
might  be  well  to  remark  here  that_,  in  almost  all 
languages^ the  word  dragon  means  a  fiery  monster. 

It  is  certainly  a  name  that  would  suit  well  the 
characteristics  of  the  one  here  described.  As  to 
its  personal  identity,  some  have  supposed  it  to  be 
a  huge  serpeut,  described  in  ancient  fables,  whose 
head  would  meet  its  tail  around  the  earth. 

I  can  now  see  a  great  deal  of  probability  in 
this  supposed  fable,  if  it  be  but  interpreted  of 
steam.  For  the  steamships  and  the  steam  rail- 
roads have_, in cieed^ girdled  the  earth. 

Others  look  upon  the  leviathan  as  some  monster 
whale,  or  some  ferocious  creature  of  the  deep. 
Even  monsters  of  wickedness  have  been  supposed 
to  be  alluded  to  here. 

Up  to  the  present,  the  crocodile  has  been  looked 
upon  as  the  one  most  probably  referred  to,  on  ac- 
count of  possessing  more  of  the  required  charac- 
teristics. 

Adam  Clarke,  after  a  serious  and  impartial  con- 
sideration of  the  subject,  says:  "After  all,  what 
is  leviatJiaii  ?  I  have  strong  doubts  whether  either 
whale  or  crocodile  be  ijieant. 

"  I  think  even  the  crocodile  overrated  by  this  de- 
scription. He  is  too  great,  two  powerful,  too  im- 
portant in  this  description.  -  No  beast,  terrestrial 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  I5 

or  aquatic,  deserves  the  high  character  here  given  ; 
though  that  character  considers  him  as  uncon- 
querably strong,  ferociously  cruel,  and  wonderfully 
made. 

"  Perhaps  leviathan  was  some  extinct  niaminoth 
of  the  waters^  as  behemoth  was  of  the  land.  How- 
ever I  have  followed  the  general  opinion  by  treat- 
ing him  as  the  crocodile  throughout  these  notes  ; 
but  could  not  finish  without  stating  ni}^  doubts 
on  this  subject;  though  I  have  nothing  better  to 
offer  in  the  place  of  the  animal  in  behalf  of  which 
almost  all  learned  men  and  critics  argue,  and  con- 
cerning which  they  generally  agree.  As  to  its 
being  an  emblem  either  of  PharcLoh^  or' the  devil^ 
I  can  say  little  more  than,  I  doubt. 

"  The  description  is  extremely  dignified ;  and, 
were  we  sure  of  the  animal,  I  have  no  doubt  we 
should  find  it  in  every  instance  correct. 

"  But  after  all  that  has  been  said,  we  have  yet 
to  to  learn  what  leviathan  is." 

According,  then,  to  the  opinion  of  this  learned 
commentator,  we  have  yet  to  leant  WHAT  leviathan  is. 

Moreover  it  would  be  well  to  take  particular  no- 
tice of  his  important  conclusion,  that,  were  we 
sure  of  the  anijnal,  we  should  find  the  description 
in  every  instance  correct. 

It  is  upon  this  very  point  of  exact  correspondence 
to  the  original  description,  that  I  base  the  exclu- 
sive right  of  the  steam  engine  to  the  claim  of  be- 
ing the  behemoth  and  leviathan  therein  referred  to. 


i6 


A   WONDERFUl,   DISCOVERY 


BEHEMOTH  CONSUMES  FOOD  AS  WELL  AS 
CATTLE  DO. 

Job  xl.  16 


^^T^^^^^ 

Behold  now  one 

Ecce 

(...f73)  niDD^ 

with  ragings — great  heat, 

behemoth 

'O^'^^C^m 

which  I  made  io  be 

quem  feci 

W 

with  thee ; 

tecum ; 

yiin 

hay,  fodder 

fcenum 

T.?^ 

as  well  as  cattle 

quasi  bos 

:':'?N» 

he,  or  it,  will  consume, — eat. 

comedet. 

Behold  now  behemoth,  which  I   have  made  with   thee 
he  eateth  grass  as  an  ox." 


This  verse,  in  the  present  Hebrew  Bible,  is 
numbered  the  fifteenth,  but  the  same  enumeration 
has  not  been  adopted  by  all  versions. 

The  entire  description,  relating  to  behemoth  and 
leviathan^  is  <:ontained  in  forty-four  consecutive 
verses,  and  is  the  most  extraordinary  and  elaborate 
one  of  the  kind  to  be  found  in  the  Bible  ;  and,  up 
to  the  present,  has  proved  the  most  difficult  as  well 
as  the  most  incomprehensible  of  inspired  writings. 

Most  of  its  difficulties,  though,  will  be  found  to 
be  due  to  the  forced  construction  which  had  to  be 
adopted  in  order  to  make  the  words  of  the  original 
suit  the  animals  supposed  to  be  referred  to. 


•     -  IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  1 7 

In  our  English  translations,  the  word  beheynotji 
stands  as  it  does  in  the  original  Hebrew ;  but  there 
is  no  good  reason  for  this  other  than  a  means  of 
evading  the  responsibility  of  translating  it  cattle ; 
this,  expositors  have  readily  noticed,  would  not 
agree  with  the  wording  of  this  verse,  nor  with  what 
is  said  in  subsequent  verses  concerning  the  nature 
and  extraordinary  powers  of  the  one  therein  de- 
scribed. Neither  have  they  ventured  to  render  the 
word  (nlOri?)  belmnoth^  by  a  great  beast ^  as  a  phi- 
ralis  excellenticB^  for  the  reason  that  the  Lord 
would  certainly  not  give  such  a  wonderful  descrip- 
tion of  an  animal  without  calling  it  by  its  proper 
name,  as  He  had  all  others  to  which  He  had  re 
ferred  in  the  verses  immediately  preceding  this. 
Moreover,  by  giving  to  this  powerful  creature  the 
common  appellation  of  beast^  it  would  virtually  be 
leaving  this  most  extraordinary  one  without  a 
name ;  for  nowhere  else  in  this  description  can  a 
word  be  found  which  might  be  indicative  of  its 
name.  Therefore,  the  shortest  way  out  of  this 
dilemma  was  to  retain,  as  the  name  of  this  sup- 
posed creature,  a  word  which  seemed  intended  to 
indicate  the  species  to  which  he  belonged,  but 
which,  evidently,  had  no  intelligible  meaning  to 
expositors. 

The  same  reasons,  undoubtedly,  led  them  to> 
retain  the  original  Hebrew  word  leviatlian  (chap. 
xli.  i),  as  its  real  meaning — one  coupled  together — 
seemed  to  them  inapplicable.  Therefore,  they 
made  this  verse  the  beginning  of  a  new  description, 
and  supposed  that  it  referred  to  a  different  animal., 


1 8  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

although  there  is  certainly  nothing  more  to  war- 
rant it  than  the  difficulty  of  the  word,  which  is  a 
compound  one. 

It  is  evident  that  the  names  of  these  two  extra- 
ordinary monsters  have  been,  up  to  the  present,  as 
much  of  a  mystery  as  the  nature  of  the  creatures 
themselves. 

With  one  or  two  exceptions,  exegetists  agree  that 
what  is  here  said  under  the  head  of  behemoth  refers 
to  but  one  animal  or  species  of  animals.  Never- 
theless, some  have  endeavored  to  show  that  it  must 
refer  to  several  species  of  animals ;  but  this  is  only 
on  account  of  the  difficulty  they  have  experienced 
in  finding  any  one  animal  which  could  have  pos- 
sessed at  once  such  various  and  wonderful  attri- 
butes. 

Most  translators  have  retained  the  original  word 
behemoth,  such  as  the  Syriac,  Arabic,  Vulgate;  but 
the  Septuagint  translate  it  by  {^w^n)  theria,  which 
denotes  generally  a  wild  beast.  The  Chaldee  has 
creature  or  beast,  in  general.  Prof.  Lee  renders  it 
beasts.  Umbreit  supposes  that  it  means  Nile-horse. 
In  the  marginal  reading  of  certain  manuscripts  the 
word  elephant  is  added  by  way  of  interpretation. 

From  the  above,  one  can  j  udge  of  the  difficulty 
which  has  been  experienced  in  comprehending  this 
word,  and  rendering  it  suitably  to  the  context. 
'  The  word  (nlQnS)  behemoth,  taken  as  the 
plural  of  iH-^n^)  beiiemah,  is  a  collective  noun. 
It  is  often  met  with  in  the  scriptures,  and  denotes 
domestic  cattle,  such  as  the  ox,  the  horse,  the  ass. 
It  is  sometimes  poetically  used  in  connection  with 


IX    THE    liOOK    OV  JOH.  I9 

({'"l^H)  liaarcts,  and  then  refers  to  beasts  of  the 
fields  wild  beasts ;  but  there  is  nothing  to  show 
that^iu  this  instance^it  might  have  been  intended 
in  this  sense. 

If  this  word  br  he  moth  be  derived  from  behemah^ 
it  becomes  difficult  to  understand  why  a  collective 
name  of  such  wide  application  should  be  used  here, 
when  the  entire  description  is  evidently  of  some 
peculiar  and  powerful  monster.  Then  again  this 
word  never  occurs  elsewhere  as  a  proper  noun. 
Even  if  it  be  taken  as  a  pluralis  excelletitics^  it  is 
still  objectionable,  for  it  leaves  this  creature  with- 
out a  name,  whilst  this  is  the  only  word  which 
all  versions  seem  to  look  to.  as  intended  to  indi- 
cate the  species  or  name  of  this  supposed  animal. 

It  is  thought  b}'-  some  that,  under  the  form 
behemoth^  there  lies  concealed  some  Egyptian  name 
for  the  hippopotamus,  so  modified  as  to  put  on  the 
appearance  of  a  Semitic  word.  Thus  P-ehe-mout 
would  signify  the  water-ox. 

Undoubtedly  the  word  must  have  some  appro- 
priate meaning,  but  we  can  derive  no  benefit  from 
such  mere  conjectures. 

As  to  the  word  behemoth  referring  but  to  one 
animal,  may  be  strongly  inferred  from  the  verb  to 
eat^  being  in  the  third  person  singular,  Jie  will 
eat.  In  subsequent  verses  the  pronouns  are  also 
in  the  singular. 

Neither  can  a  plurality  of  animals  be  satisfac- 
torily established  from  any  expression  which  occurs 
in  any  of  the  forty-four  verses  of  this  description. 
That  he  is  represented,  now  among  the  wild  beasts 


20  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

of  the  field,  then  as  ploughing  the  deep,  does  not 
prove  conclusively  that  two  distinct  animals  are 
meant ;  neither  will  the  wording  of  the  context 
favor  any  such  a  supposition,  but  rather  that  some 
amphibious  monster  is  referred  to.  I  have  refer- 
ence here  to  both  behemoth  and  leviathan.  There 
are  passages,  in  the  description  of  the  one  as  well 
as  of  tlie  other,  that  prove  beyond  a  doubt,  accord- 
ing to  their  present  interpretation,  that  both  were 
aquatic,  and  that  both  went  on  land.  For  instance, 
the  twenty-third  verse  of  the  present  chapter  reads, 
"  Behold,  he  drinketh  a  river,  and  hasteth  not ;  he 
trusteth  that  he  can  draw  up  Jordan  into  his 
mouth."  This  verse,  taken  in  the  same  sense  as 
the  majority  of  expositors  have,  viz. :  that  he  would 
not  be  moved  though  an  impetuous  torrent  rushed 
over  his  mouth,  is  good  evidence  that  this  monster 
did  not  fear  the  water,  not  even  an  impetuous 
torrent. 

The  following  verse  may  be  quoted  to  show  that 
he  roams  about  on  land  also:  "Surely  the  moun- 
tains bring  him  forth  food,  where  all  the  beasts  of 
the  field  play  (xl.  20)." 

Numerous  passages  could  be  quoted  from  the 
forty-first  chapter  to  prove  that  leviathan  also  is 
aquatic,  but  it  will  be  sufficient  to  refer  to  the  thirty- 
first  verse ;  "  He  maketh  the,  deep  ta  boil  like  a 
pbt ;  he  maketh  the  sea  like  a  pot  of  ointment" 

As  a  land  animal  i^is  said  of  him,  in  the  thirty- 
third  verse  :  "  Upon  earth  there  is  not  his  like,  who 
is  made  without  fear."  From  this  it  would  appear 
that  he  was  more  formidable  "on  the  earth  (lit  upon 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF  JOB.  21 

the  dust),  than  in  the  sea,  as  it  is  asserted  that 
''  upon  the  em'th  there  is  not  his  like,"  whilst  noth- 
ing-is said  of  his  being  the  most  formidable  in  the  sea. 

From  these  few  passages  it  would  seem  evident, 
then,  that  both  behemoth  and  leviathan  were  amphi- 
bious ;  a  rather  strange  coincidence,  that  the  two 
greatest  and  strongest  creatures  should  be  amphi- 
bious. 

But  a  stranger  fact  still,  and  a  further  proof  of 
the  oneness  of  this  description  is,  that  there  does 
not  occur  one  single  word^in  either  of  these  (sup- 
posed) two  descriptions,  which  would  tend  to  show 
that  these  creatures  were  dissimilar  in  any  of  their 
main  featuves.  For  instance,  it  is  said  that  behe- 
moth consumes  hay  or  fodder  as  well  as  cattle  do, 
whilst  it  is  not  affirmed  that  the  leviathan  feeds  on 
anything  different,  as  fish,  or  flesh,  for  instance. 

The  bones  of  the  behemoth  are  said  to  be  bai'S 
of  iron ;  and  tubes  like  copper ;  and  his  tail  is 
likened  to  a  tall  cedar  tree.  But  nothing  is  said 
to  the  contrary  of  the  bones  nor  of  the  tail  of  the 
leviathan.  If  he  were  a  separate  and  distinct  ani- 
mal, we  would  undoubtedly  find  some  of  his  corre- 
sponding parts  also  described,  that  his  superiority 
in  beauty  or  strength  might  be  known.  As  the 
description  stands,  it  would  be  difficult  for  an}'-  one 
to  show  in  what  the  one  differed  from  the  other. 

Under  the  supposition  that  two  distinct  animals 
are  meant,  it  would  also  be  hard  to  reconcile  what 
is  said  of  behemoth  (xl.  19)  :  "He  is  chief  of  the 
ways  of  God," — with  what  is  asserted  of  leviathan, 
that  "upon  earth  there  is  not  his  like."     (xli.  33). 


2  2  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

These  mysteries,  however,  are  easily  solved  when 
we  look  upon  the  so-called  behemoth  and  leviathan 
as  referring  to  but  one  powerful  monster,  such  as 
our  modern  steam  engine,  which  is  also  capable  of 
running  on  land  as  well  as  in  the  deep  sea ;  and 
that  the  word  leviathan  does  not  designate  a  differ- 
ent creature,  but  is  simply  a  compound  word  mean- 
ing (as  all  writers  on  the  subject  explain),  one 
linked  or  coupled  together^  and  denoting  one  of  the 
many  characteristics  of  the  behemoth,  or  the  same 
steam  engine  in  the  shape  of  a  locomotive  or  self- 
propelling  machine  capable  of  being  linked  or 
coupled  to  other  parts. 

These  points  will  be  elucidated  at  length  as  I 
proceed  with  the  exposition  of  each  verse. 

Having  thus  given  a  brief  insight  as  to  the  ref- 
erence of  this  entire  description,  I  will  proceed  with 
a  closer  investigation  into  the  difBculties  of  each 
verse. 

As  to  the  proper  meaning  of  the  word  behemoth^ 
I  have  reasoned  thus.  If  it  be  the  name  of  the 
monster  referred  to  in  this  description,  and  if  the 
Lord  Himself  gave  it  this  name,  then,  according  to 
all  precedents  in  similar  cases,  it  must  be  a  name 
which  indicates  some  of  its  prominent  characteris- 
tics, or  the  purposes  to  which  it  was  adapted.  That 
it  is  intended  to  designate  the  monster  referred  to 
ill  this  description,  there  can  hardly  be  any  doubt ; 
all  expository,  without  any  exception,  having  so 
decided. 

That  this  name — as  well  as  this  entire  descrip- 
tion— has  been  crivcn  by  the^Lord  Himself,  we  can 


IN   THE   BOOK   OF   JOB.  SJ 

find  no  reasonable  grounds  for  a  supposition  to  the 
contrary,  whilst  we  possess  strong  evidence  in  its 
favor,  viz.,  (i)  The  statement  of  the  writer  of  the 
book  of  Job,  who  says  that  the  Lord  spoke  unto  Job 
out  of  the  whirlwind.  (2)  The  fact  that  in  the  words 
attributed  to  the  Lord  occur  numerous  and  extra- 
ordinary revelations  which,  in  those  days,  could  not 
possibly  have  been  known  to  Job  or  his  ancestors, 
without  a  direct  revelation  from  God,  such  as  the 
suspension  of  our  globe  in  space  without  a  foun- 
dation, which  fact  can  be  reasonably  inferred  from 
chapter  xxxviii.  6. 

In  the  same  chapter,  verse  fourteenth,  the  rota- 
tion of  the  earth .  and  its  garment  of  clouds  are 
clearly  indicated  as  being  like  a  seal  of  clay  rotat- 
ing on  itself;  and  they  (the  noxious  vapors,  men- 
tioned in  the  previous  verse),  standing  as  a  gar 
ment. 

(3.)  This  extraordinary  revelation  itself,  concern- 
a  most  modern  and  most  extraordinary  piece  of 
mechanism,  the  steam  engine,  which,  when  its 
identity  has  been  established,  will  constitute  suffi- 
cient proof  in  itself  that  such  a  thing  could  not 
have  been  known  to  men  in  those  days  without  a 
direct  revelation  from  God. 

As  to  precedents  in  similar  cases,  where  the  Lord 
has  given  names  indicating  some  prominent  charac- 
teristic of  the  person  or  thing  He  named,  I  would 
refer  to  the  Bible,  which  is  full  of  such  instances. 
Adam  is  so  called  on  account  of  his  color  being  red 
or  ruddy.  Eve's  name  designates  her  as  "  the  mothei 
of  the  living."     Abraham  is  so  called  because  ht 


24  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

was  destined  to  be  "  the  father  of  a  multitude," 
and  Israel^  because  "  he  prevails  with  God,"  And 
as  an  example  of  the  prevalence  of  calling  animals 
by  names  which  indicate  some  of  their  characteris- 
tics, I  would  mention  the  name  of  the  ox,  which, 
in  Hebrew  is,  collectively,  bakar  ("^j^^)  meaning, 
primarily,  to  plough^  as  in  those  days  the  ox  was 
used  to  plough. 

Even  the  Indians  in  America  name,  not  only 
animals,  but  also  their  children,  from  certain  per- 
sonal peculiarities,  or  from  incidents  of  their  birth 
or  youth. 

Thus,  from  this  most  ancient  rule  with  the  Lord 
and  with  men,  I  would  conclude  that  the  God- 
given  name  behemoth^  must  carry  within  itself  in- 
dications of  some  of  the  most  prominent  character- 
istics of  the  monster  intended. 

As  we  have  before  us  a  most  complete  -  descrip- 
tion of  the  extraordinary  powers  and  peculiar 
habits  of  this  wonderful  creature,  it  will  not  be  hard 
to  decide  what  its  most  prominent  characteristics 
are ;  then  we  will  be  better  able  to  see  whether 
some  of  the  meanings  of  the  word  behemoth  can 
be  found  to  correspond  to  any  ol  them. 

The  most  striking  peculiarities  of  this  creature, 
such  as  would  make  an  immediate  impression 
upon  the  mind  of  an  unprejudiced  reader  of  the 
original,  would  be  the  repeated  description  oi  fire 
2A\^  flames  emanating  fcom  him.  For  instance  in 
chapter  xli.  i8  to  2  ad  verse  we  read:  "With  his 
neesings  a  light  doth  shine,  and  his  eyes  are  like 
the  eyelids  of  the  morning."    -"  From   his  mouth 


■     -  IN.  THE    BOOK   OF  JOB-  25 

flames  will  leap  forth,  and  sparks  of  fire  wijl 
escape."  "  Out  of  his  nostrils  will  issue  forth 
smoke,  as  out  of  a  boiling  pot  or  caldron."  "  His 
inhaling  kindleth  coals,  and  a  flame  goeth  out  of 
his  mouth."  He  is  also  repeatedl}^  represented 
as  being  full  of  ragings  and  internal  commotions. 
Then  his  various  parts,  which  are  said  to  be 
tubes  of  brass ^  bars  of  iron  and  impenetrable  shields^ 
closely  unitedthe  one  to  the  other;  all  of  which 
should  have  secured  for  it,  from  the  Lord,  a  name 
far  more  appropriate  than  the  common  appella- 
tion of  cattle  or  beasts. 

Reasoning  on  the  strength  of  the  above,  I  feel 
convinced  that  the  word  behemothrnMsX.  have  some 
mysterious  signification ;  or  that  possibly  the  ori- 
ginal word,  either  from  inadvertency,  or  from  the 
doubtful  or  obliterated  form  of  some  of  its  char- 
acters, may  have  been  changed  to  its  present  read- 
ing. 

I  would  suppose,  as  the  most  plausible  solu- 
tion of  this  difficult  problem,  that  here  the  letter 
(fl)  cketh^  was  mistaken  for  the  letter  (n)  he; 
and  that  the  original  reading  of  this  word  was, 
(niDnS)  be-chemoth. 

I  would  take  beth  here  as  the  prefix  preposi- 
tion, with  ;  and  chemoth  as  the  plural  of  cheniah^ 
meaning  heat^  attger^  rage  or  wrath. 

According  to  this  the  original  would  have 
meant;  Behold  now  one  with  ragings,  or,  one  full 
of  violent  ragings,  full  of  great  heat  or  warmtJi. 

Here  the  plural  form  of  the  word  would  seem 
intended  to  indicate  either  the  intensity  or  the  va- 


26  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

riety  of  this  heat,  or  wrath  ;  so  that  the  sense  may 
be,  either  that  he  was  filled  with  intense  heat,  or 
with  various  kinds  of  heat ;  or,  with  violent  wrath, 
or  with  a  variety  of  ragings. 

Either  or  all  these  meanings  of  the  word,  as  you 
will  recognize,  correspond  in  a  wonderful  manner 
with  some  of  the  most  prominent  characteristics  of 
this  monster  as  shown  above,  and  corroborates  so 
fully  the  proposition  which  I  have  advanced,  that 
names  given  by  the  Lord  himself  are  always  found 
to  designate  some  prominent  characteristics  of  the 
person  or  thing  named,  that  it  almost  amounts  to 
a  proof  that  the  correction  which  I  propose  restores, 
indeed,  the  word  behemoth  to  its  original  form  and 
meaning,  viz.,  bechemoth^  one  having  within  it  vio- 
lent ragings,  intense  heat.  These  same  ragings 
seem  to  be  clearly  referred  to  in  the  verse  just 
quoted  above,  where,  speaking  of  his  rage  as  mani- 
fested through  his  nostrils,  he  says  :  "  Out  of  his 
nostrils  will  issue  forth  smoke,  as  out  of  a  boiling 
pot  or  caldron."  This  may  be  taken  as  a  clear 
manifestation  of  both  great  heat  and  great  anger. 

Let  us  now  see  how  these  various  meanings  of 
the  word  bechemoth  would  apply  to  our  modern 
steaming  monster. 

No  one  will  deny  that  he  is  full  of  terrific  rag- 
ings, and  intense  heat.  His.  pent-up. forces  escape 
With  fearful  rage ;  and,  at  times,  he  roars  most  ter- 
rifically. Surely  th»re  is  also  enough  heat  in  him 
to  account  for  the  Hebrew  word  being  in  the  plural, 
(chemolh).  It  is  heated  steam  that  issues  from  his 
nostrils  ;  his  flanks  are  filled  with  heated  water  ; 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  ^'J 

his  whole  body  is  burning  Iwt^  and  his  very  food, is 
burning  coals  of  fire  fanned  by  his  own  breath. 

Thus  it  would  seem  that  the  meaning  of  the 
word  bechejuoth^  not  only  suits  the  main  character- 
istics of  the  monster  of  Job,  but  corresponds  in  an 
extraordinary  manner  with  those  of  our  modern 
monster  of  power. 

The  next  difficulty  which  occurs  in  this  verse, 
is  the  phrase  "  which  I  made  with  thee."  It 
has  given  rise  to  many  conjectures,  and  almost 
every  exponent  of  the  passage  has  had  a  diffferent 
view  of  its  meaning. 

The  Vulgate  renders  it  "quern  feci  tecum,"  the 
same  as  above.  The  Septuagirit  leave  out  the 
verb,  and  render  the  entire  passage  by  "  ttc/w  <to/ " 
— near  thee.  It  is  possible  that  the  Septua- 
gint  had  some  objections  to  the  verb  and  pre- 
ferred not  to  express  it,  as  it  does  not  mean  to 
create^  but  simply  to  ?nakc^  to  construct^  which 
might  not  have  been  consistent  with  their  views, 
which  probably  v/ere  that  this  monster  had  been 
created  as  well  as  all  animals.  As  it  stands  in  the 
Greek  it  leaves  a  wider  range  to  the  translator, 
and  would  suit  my  views  better  than  some  of 
our  late  translations.  Barnes  translates — "  which 
I  have  made  as  well  as  thyself" — that  is,  either 
"  I  have  made  him  as  well  as  3^ou,  have  formed 
him  to  be  a  fellow  creature  with  thee,"  or  "  I  have 
made  him  near  thee;"  to,  wit,  in  Egypt. 

Prof.  Lee,  viewing  this  description  as  refer- 
ring to  various  species  of  animals  distributiveU', 
translates  ;  "  Behold  now  the  beasts  which  I  have 


28  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

made  are  with  thee,  .  .  ."  In  subsequent  re- 
marks on  the  expression  "  with  thee,"  he  says  : 
"  The  phrase  (T]D^  ^H^t?^^)  asithi  irmnake,  will  not 
bear  the  sense  ascribed  to  it  by  Bochart ;  First, 
because y^^/ /^<^^7;2,  in  that  sense,  cannot  be  shown 
to  be  Hebrew ;  and,  secondly,  because  none  of 
the  passages  adduced  ....  either  exhibits  that 
phraseology,  or  anything  like  it.  For,  to  make 
or  create  anything  with  another^  must  mean 
one  of  these  two  things;  (i)  Either  to  do  this 
in  society  with  another  so  that  he  be  present 
with  the  action ;  ^y^ich  is  impossible  here ;  or 
(2)  to  make,  or  create  anything  so  that  it  may 
be  or  remain  with  another ;  and  this  I  take  to  be 
the  sense  intended.  In  that  sense,  to  create  with, 
would  supply  no  sense  adequate  to  that  intended 
by  the  original.  It  is,  consequently, ,  a  false  tran- 
lation.  I  have  therefore  translated  the'  passage 
'.are  with  thee ;'  i.  e.,  in  thy  neighborhood,  and 
familiar  to  thy  sight.  In  this  sense  I  have  no 
objection  to  adopt  the  'prope'  or'juxta'  of 
Bochart,  in  rendering  it ;  although  I  claim  the  privi- 
lege of  separating  '^VS^VVcisithiixoxQ.  '^V.  immake  by 
the  term  '  are '  by  which  a  regular  phraseology  is 
restored.  In  this  case,  too,  we  are  not  compelled 
to  recur  to  the  Nile  exclusively  to  find  the  hippo- 
potamus, but  may  take  in  the- horse,  the  mule,  the 
as's,  the  wild  ass  or  horse,  the  hippopotamus,  and, 
indeed,  every  other  animal  which  is  graminivorous, 
and  answers  the  descriptions  severally  given." 
I  have  referred  to  the  above  author  "because  I  con- 
cur with  him  in  his  views  of  the  meaning  of  the 


IN   TPIE   BOOK    OF  JOB.  29 

expression  "  with  thee  ;"  for  this  passage  could  not 
certainly  be  intended  to  mean  that  God  had  made 
this  monster  with  Job,  that  is,  either  at  the  same 
time  or  in  company  with  him;  but  made  it  to  be 
with  him  as  a  companion  or  helpmate.  We  can- 
not interpret  this,  though,  as  meaning  that  he 
was  made  to  be  exclusively  with  Job,  but  with 
mankind  in  general.  One  of  the  primary  mean- 
ings of  the  word  is  help  or  aid  to  any  one. 

This  view  of  the  meaning  of  this  passage  is  cer- 
tainly quite  applicable  to  the  steam  engine;  for 
it  is  undisputedly  one  of  the  greatest  and  most 
powerful  helpmates   ever  made  for  man. 

Undoubtedly  the.  chief  reason-  which  deterred 
expositors  from  interpreting  the  word  in  the 
sense  of  a  helpmate  "  for  thee,"  was  the  drift  of 
the  description  which  proves  this  monster  to  be 
of  a  most  terrible  and  fiery  character. 

But  this,  otherwise  reasonable  objection,  is  found 
to  disappear  when  we  look  upon  our  modern  mon- 
ster of  power  as  this  terrible  one.  Moreover 
this  view  of  it  is  just  what  is  required  to  fully 
illustrate  the  difficulty  of  this  passage ;  for,  other- 
wise, why  should  the  Lord  have  said  that  He  had 
made  this  creature  with  Job,  or  with  man,  any  more 
than  the  other  animals  he  had  made  ? 

Ferocious  monsters,  such  as  are  supposed  to  be 
referred  to  here,  cannot  be  said  to  have  been  made 
for  man,  nor  made  to  be  with  him. 

Surely  the  good  man  Job  would  not  have  ap- 
preciated the  compliment  had  he  known  that  the 
most  hideous  of  all  monsters — the  hippopotamus — 


30  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

was,  of  all  others,  the  one  that  the  Lord  had  more 
specially  created  with  him,  according  to  Bochart. 

Although  the  Lord  seems  to  address  Himself  to 
Job  throughout  this  description,  yet  it  cannot  be 
supposed  that  he  is  exclusively  meant,  but  rather 
all  mankind,  of  which  he  here  stood  as  a  representa- 
tive. In  proof  of  this  I  would  refer  to  the  evident 
meaning  of  the  word  just  explained,  and  also  to 
chap.  xli.  5,  where  the  Lord,  addressing  Job,  says  : 
"  Wilt  thou  bind  (harness)  him  for  thy  maidens  ?  " 
whilst  Job's  maidens  were  then  all  dead.  Evidently 
the  meaning  of  this  passage  is :  '  Will  man  bind 
him  for  his  maidens  ?  '  or,  is  he  such  a  reliable 
creature  that  man  will  harness  him  up  as  a  play- 
thing for  his  children  ?  It  is  not  necessary,  there- 
fore, to  suppose  that  Job  was  well  acquainted  with 
the  behemoth,  or  with  the  leviathan,  as  some 
writers  suppose.  I  look  on  it  as  probable,  though, 
that  Job  saw  the  behemoth  at  the  moment  the 
Lord  said  to  him  :  "  Behold  now  the  behemoth  which 
I  made  to  be  with  thee;"  and  that  the  vision 
remained  before  him  during  the  entire  description. 

Before  dismissing  the  passage  under  considera- 
tion, viz:  "which  I  made  with  thee;"  I  wish 
the  reader  to  take  particular  notice,  in  this  case,  of 
the  verb  to  make.  Gesenius  in  his  lexicon,  says  : 
"Often  asaJi  (Hb^^),  is  so  put  as  to  express  the 
simple  idea  of  a  verb  of  action,  to  do^  to  act.,  rendered 
definite  only  by  the  cantext  or  the  circumstances." 
The  Vulgate  translates  this  word  by  facere,  and 
most  translators  render  it  by  the  verb  to  make.,  to 
do.     Umbreit,  however,  takes  the  liberty  of  render- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  3 1 

iiig  it  by  the  verb  to  create^  and  translates;  "  which 
I  created  as  well  as  thee."  To  this  translation  I 
object  on  the  grounds  that,  had  it  been  one  of  the 
animals  created  by  God  at  the  beginning,  the  same 
word  bara  (^^7?)  which  is  used  in  Gen.  i.  i.  would 
have  been  used  in  this  instance  also.  The  use  of 
the  expression  to  make^  to  construct,  instead  of  to 
create,  specially  when  the  creating  of  an  animal  is 
concerned,  is,  to  say  the  least,  very  remarkable, 
when  one  takes  into  consideration  that  it  is  the 
Creator  Himself  who  makes  use  of  the  word. 
Therefore  the  strong  presumption  in  my  favor 
that  this  monster  was  not  one  of  the  created 
animals. 

Had  the  Lord  said  ''  which  I  have  created,"  it 
would  have  had  a  strong  tendency  to  prove  that 
this  one  had  been  created  from  the  beginning,  in 
the  same  way  as  animals,  and  that  he  was  an 
animal.  But  it  happens  here,  as  you  will  notice  it 
to  often  occur  throughout  this  wonderful  prophecy, 
that  the  very  word  which  might  be  looked  to  as 
proving  beyond  a  doubt  that  this  monster  was  an 
animal,  is  wanting  in  strength ;  and  that  a  word 
of  very  doubtful  meaning  is  made  use  of,  to  the 
great  embarrassment  of  those  who  suppose  that 
some  animal  is  here  meant. 

That  the  Lord,  in  this  instance,  should  express 
Himself  as  though  he  had  already  made  this  ciea- 
ture  at  the  time,  has  no  further  meaning  than 
that  He  had  already  provided  all  the  things 
necessary  to  its  construction,  and  that,  in  its 
proper  time,  He  would  cause  it  to  appear. 


32  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

He  had  so  designed  it  from  the  beginning,  and 
then  spoke  of  it  as  an  accomplished  fact  with  Him. 
Here  I  would  quote  Romans  iv.  17:  "God  .  .  . 
who  calleth  those  things  which  be  not  as  though 
they  were."  "  Qui  .  .  .  vocat  ea  quae  non  sunt, 
t'anquam  ea  quae  sunt."  So  that  this  mode  of 
expression  with  God  was  well  understood  long  ago. 

From  this  exposition  the  reader  will  readily  sec 
that  this  passage  cannot  be  relied  on  to  prove  that 
the  so-called  behemoth  was  a  created  animal, 
nor  that  he  was  already  in  existence  upon  the 
earth  at  the  time  the  Lord  addressed  Job. 

Moreover  I  am  confident  that  the  elucidation 
of  the  whole  will  soon  dissipate  the  doubts  which 
may  arise  as  to  the  reference  of  dijB&cult  and 
isolated  passages. 

The  second  hemistich  of  this  verse  seems  to 
refer  to  the  food  of  this  extraordinary  creature, 
.and,  in  our  ordinary  English  translations,  reads 
as  follows:  "he  eateth  grass  as  an  ox."  A  more 
literal  rendering  would  be  "  he  .will  eat."  The 
verb  to  eat  seems  to  have,  in  all  languages,  the 
same  various  meanings  of  to  eat^  to  consume^  to  de- 
7'oiir ;  and  can  be  applied  to  animate  as  well  as 
inanimate  things.  I  prefer  here  the  expression 
to  consume. 

But  taking  the  word  chatzir  in  its  jnost  common 
'acceptation,  we  find  it  to  mean  primarily  an  enclose 
lire ;  then  grass^  h&rbagr.  The  same  connection 
of  ideas  can  be  found  under  the  Greek  word  xop^o(,^ 
by  which  the  Septuagint  translate  in  this  instance. 
The    Vulgate   renders   the  ^ word    by    foenum^  hay^ 


•     .  IN    THE    BOOK    OK   JOB.  33 

strazv.  Most  of  our  English  commentaries  trans- 
late grass.  I  would  prefer  here  the  word  fodder^ 
then  herbage.,  as  answering  all  the  requirements 
of  the  case.  So  far  I  consider  this  part  of  the 
verse  to  mean  "he  will  consume  herbage  or  fodder, 
as  well  as  the  ox;"  but  here  instead  of  the  word 
ox,  I  would  prefer  the  word  cattle.,  and  for  these 
reasons. 

The  original  word  ("^j^?)  bakar^  rendered  ox, 
means  in  its  primary  sense  to  cleave^  to  plough^  and 
is  generally  used  collectively  for  oxen.,  cattle ;  as  in 
Job  i.  3,  "five  hundred  yoke  of  oxen,"  which,  says 
Barnes  in  loco.,  "would  be  quite  as  appropriately 
rendered  cattle.'''' 

The  same  word  is  used  in  the  same  sense  in 
V.  14.  "The  oxen  were  ploughing,"  which  Barnes 
remarks  should  be  rendered  cattle  as  including 
not  merely  oxen.,  but  probably  also  coivs.  The 
same  reasons  prevail  here,  for  the  comparison  is 
evidently  intended  to  be  general ;  there  is  nothing 
in  the  fact  of  eating  or  consuming  straw  or  food 
which  is  more  peculiarly  the  attribute  of  the  ox., 
than  of  cattle  in  general.  Moreover  there  is 
nothing  in  the  context  which  goes  to  show  that 
the  ox  is  particularly  intended,  but  everything 
rather  tends  to  show  that  the  expression  is 
general.  Consequently  I  render  this  passage ; 
He  (or  it)  will  consume  herbage,  or  fodder  as  well 
as  cattle  do. 

The  above,  as  will  be  seen,  has  a  much  wider 
range  of  application  than  the  bare  assertion  that 
"he  eateth  grass  like  an  ox."     Yet  it  is  perfectly 


34  A   WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

consistent  with  the  meaning  of  the  original  words. 
Now,  why  should  it  be  related  as  a  strange  and 
remarkable  thing,  that  this  one  cojtsicmes  (or  eateth) 
grass,  or  straiv,  etc.,  as  zvell  as  cattle  do?  Have 
we  not  here  an  insight  into  the  problem  ?  We 
certainly  cannot  help  inferring,  from  the  wording 
of  this  passage,  that  this  creature  is  of  an  entirely 
different  nature  from  cattle  in  general;  otherwise 
it  could  not  be  related  as  a  strange  thing  that  he 
should  consume  fodder  as  well  as  cattle  do. 
Evidently,  were  he  to  be  found  among  cattle,  it 
would  be  quite  absurd  to  say  that  he  eats  grass, 
fodder,  etc.,  as  zvell  as  cattle  do.  We  can^  there- 
fore, safely  infer  from  this  that  the  behemoth  is 
not  to  be  found  among  any  species  of  cattle. 

It  would  also  be  well  to  take  notice  that  it 
cannot  be  inferred  from  this  passage  that  the 
behemoth  consumed  these  things  in  the  same 
manner  as  cattle,  but  simply  that  he  did  so  as 
well  as  cattle  ;  which  leaves  in  my  favor  the  possi- 
bility that  he  consumed  straw,  hay,  fodder,  in  a 
different  manner  from  cattle,  although  he  did  it 
as  well  as  they. 

Let  us  now  see  how  the  meaning  of  this  pas- 
sage would  agree  with  the  well-known  habits  of 
our  modern  creature   of  power,  the  steam  engine. 

It  must  be  acknowledged  as  a  singular  coinci- 
dence that  he  also  consumes  food,  such  as  wood, 
coal,  peat;  which  constitutes  his  life-giving  ele- 
ments, as  well  as  straw  and  fodder  are  those  of 
cattle.  Even  the  expression  to  consume  is  technical 
with  our  firemen,  who  can  be  daily  heard  to  say — 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOH.  35 

M}'  engiue   consumes    so   many    tons    of  coal,  so 
many  cords  of  wood. 

Then  again,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  maj' 
wish  to  hold  me  to  the  very  letter  of  the  original, 
and  wish  me  to  account  for  the  straw,  or  fodder, 
which  is  specially  mentioned  as  an  article  he 
consumes,  I  would  say  that  our  modern  engine 
of  power  does  literally  consume  strait^  hay,  peat 
and  the  like,  and  that  several  valuable  patents 
have  been  recently  granted  for  an  apparatus  by 
means  of  which  the  furnace  of  a  boiler  \s  fed 
with  straiv,  hay,  or  any  kind  of  dried  vegetable 
fodder,  and  such  an  apparatus  is  called  a  feede?'. 
It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  even  corn  has  been  fed  to 
our  voracious  monster.  So  that  our  modern  behe- 
moth does  literal  1}^  consmne  straiu,  and  liay^  and 
€orn^  as  well  as  cattle  do,  and  fulfills  to  the  very 
letter  the  words  of  this  prophec}-. 

It  is  supposed,  by  many,  that  the  behemoth  and 
leviathan  were  beasts  well  known  to  Job  and  to 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Jordan.  In  reference  to 
this  I  would  say,  that  there  is  neither  history  nor 
tradition  to  prove  that  such  creatures  were  ever 
known  to  mankind  ;  or  that  there  ever  existed  in 
any  part  of  the  world,  any  beast  or  beasts  \\hich 
bore  the  name  of  beheynoth,  or  le<'ia/han.  Surely, 
if  such  powerful  and  indestructible  monsters  ex- 
isted in  the  times  of  Job,  they  would  have  sur- 
vived long  enough  to  have  been  at  least  recognized 
by  the  ancient  Egyptians  and  carved  on  some  of 
those  imperishable  monuments,  the  same  as  the 
hippopotamus,   the    crocodile    and  -the    elephant, 


36  A   WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

faithful  representations  of  which  have  thus  reached 
down  to  us.  But  in  vain  has  the  naturalist 
searched  for  them  among  the  extinct  mastodons  and 
reptiles ;  and  the  commentator  labored  to  prove,  from 
the  unyielding  words  of  the  original,  their  possible 
identity  with  the    hippopotamus,   or  the  alligator. 

This  description,  or  rather  prophec}'-,  as  will  be 
seen,  is,  throughout,  highly  poetical  and  allegor- 
ical. The  various  parts  and  capacities  of  the  so- 
called  behenwtli  and  leviathan^  are  described  under 
the  simile  of  corresponding  parts  and  capacities 
in  animals. 

For  instance,  as  we  have  just  seen,  the  consump- 
tion of  straw  and  coal,  are  likened  to  the  con- 
sumption of  food  by  cattle.  Further  on  we  will  see 
that  the  draft  of  air  which  enlivens  the  coals  of 
fire  in  the  furnace,  is  likened  to  the  inhaling  or 
breathing  of  an  animal,  which  is  a  very  poetic 
and  proper  comparison.  In  a  similar  way  we 
will  find  described  the  various  parts  and  capaci- 
ties of  these  monsters. 

As  we  proceed,  many  doubts,  as  to  the  proper 
meaning  of  difficult  passages,  will  vanish,  and  many 
doubtful  expressions  will  become  intelligible  and 
easily  applied,  when  viewed  as  referring  to  our 
modern  creatures  of  power. 

Having  thus  explained  the  meaning -and  reference 
of  a  passage  which  has  perplexed  many,  I  would 
now  offer  the  foUowhig  rendering  as  its  solution : 

"  Behold  now  one  with  violent  ragings  which  I 
made  to  be  with  thee ;  he  will  consume  fodder  as 
well  as  cattle  do." 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF   JOB. 


37 


THE  POWER  AND  STRENGTH   OF   BEHEMOTH. 


Nrn.jn 

Behold  also 

Fortitude 

ifi:) 

his  strength 

ejus 

vinpn 

is  in,  depends  on,  his  loins  ; 

in  lumbis  ejus 

1J1NT 

and  his  power,  ability,  is 

et  virtus  illius 

'y^^'r^ 

within  the  encircling  parts 

in  umbilico 

I  i^pa 

of  his  belly. 

ventris  ejus. 

"  Lo  now,  his  strength  ts  in  his  loins,  and  his  force  is  in 
the  navel  of  his  bellv." 


In  this  verse,  as  yon  will  notice,  Job's  atten- 
tion is  called  particularly  to  the  strength  and 
power  of  the  behemoth  ;  yet,  after  a  short  reflec- 
tion, one  will  perceive  that  it  is  not  so  much 
his  extraordinar}'  strength  and  power  which  he 
is  called  to  notice,  as  their  particular  locality. 

Undoubtedly  there  must  have  been  something 
peculiar  in  this  to  be  noticed,  something  differ- 
ent from  other  animals,  otherwise  there  would 
have  been  no  special  necessity  for  calling  atten- 
tion to  it. 

The  Septuagint,  the  Vulgate,  and  commenta- 
tors generally,  render  "  His  strength  is  in  his 
loins."  The  original  must,  evidently,  be  in- 
tended to  mean  that  this  monster's    strength  de- 


38  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

pe)ided  on  the  strength  of  his  loins,  or  flanks. 
I  consider  that  it  should  be  thus  expressed,  as 
all  writers  on  this  subject  agree  that  the  strength 
or  thickness  of  these  parts  must  be  meant. 

Some  suppose  that  the  thickness  or  impene- 
trability of  the  skin  of  the  hippopotamus,  is 
alluded  to.  This  cannot  be,  for  the  skin  of  his 
loins  is  not  any  thicker  than  it  is  in  any  other 
part  of  his  body ;  neither  can  it  be  said  to  be 
impenetrable. 

All  the  parts  of  the  behemoth  seem  to  have 
been  strong  and  firm  even  to  an  extraordinary 
degree.  This  is  evident  from  what  is  said  in 
verse  eighteenth :  "  His  hollow  bones  are  tubes, 
of  brass ;  his  solid  bones  are  of  iron  as  if  ham- 
mered out."  As  I  consider  the  behemoth  to  be 
the  same  as  the  leviathan, — as  far  at  least  as  his 
main  features  are  concerned — I  would  also  refer 
to  chapted  xli.  15-17  ;  "  His  excellence  depends 
on  courses  of  shields  closed  up  tightly  with  a 
seal."  These  are  the  parts  which  I  consider  to 
be  referred  to  here  as  constituting  his  strength, 
and  as  forming  or  protecting  his  loins. 

Had  this  verse  been  written  as  explanatory  of 
the  one  under  consideration,  it  could  not  have 
been  more  complete  and  explicit ;  as  it  points 
out  directly  to  that  which  constitutes  the  strength 
or  excellence  of  the  bodj^  of  this  monster,  and, 
consequently,  of  his  loins. 

That  the  reader  may  obtain  a  clear  insight  into 
the  nature  of  these  loins  and  shields,  I  will  also 
quote,    according    to    the    original    Hebrew,    the 


•     .  IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  39 

second  verse  referred  to  above,  "  One  will  cleave 
fast  to  another ;  they  will  be  caught  together 
that  they  cannot  be  sundered." 

These  passages  confirm  and  elucidate  the  pre- 
vious one,  and  are  a  strong  proof  that  that  which 
constituted  the  strength  of  the  loins  or  flanks  of 
this  monster  must  have  been  a  covering  made  of 
courses  of  shields  ;  that  they  were  tightly  sealed 
together ;  that  they  were  firm  and  strongly 
united  the  one  to  the  other.  This  being  the 
case,  then  it  is  not  the  potential  energy  or  power 
of  the  behemoth,  as  some  suppose,  which  is 
alluded  to  here,  but  the  material  strength  of 
those  parts  forming  his  loins  or'  flanks.  In  fact 
most  commentators  have  interpreted  this  passage 
as  referring  to  the  strength  and  toughness  of 
the  muscles  of  the  belly,  or  to  the  impenetra- 
bility of  the  parts  which  covered  his  loins.  This 
passage  would  suit  our  modern  monster  of  power 
very  well.  Indeed  his  strength  depends  on  the 
tensile  strength  or  firmness  of  his  loins  or  flanks. 
The  stronger  the  boiler-plates — which  really  con- 
stitute both  his  loins  and  his  flanks — the  more 
pressure  he  can  bear,  consequently  the  more  power 
he  can  exert. 

This  again  depends  on  the  strength  of  the 
various  parts  of  the  engine  ;  the  stronger  they 
are  the  greater  the  strain  which  they  can  bear. 
In  fact  the  strength  of  a  steam  boiler  and  engine 
is  limited  only  by  the  strength  of  the  material 
composing  them.  Surely  this  passage  could  not 
apply  with  more  force    and    truth  to  any  known 


40  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

animal  thau  our  iiioderu  behemoth,  for  "  behold 
indeed,  his  strength  depends  on  the  firmness  of 
his  loins." 

The  ordinary  English  rendering  of  the  second 
part  of  this  verse  is  ;  "  And  his  force  is  in  the 
navel  of  his  belly." 

What  is  meant  by  saying  that  the  force  of 
this  creature  is  in  the  navel  of  hi?  belly,  is  dif- 
ficult to  understand.  To  decide  this  it  will  be 
necessary  to  ascertain,  first,  what  is  meant  by 
the  original  Hebrew  word  (pt<)  on^  rendered 
here  force^  and  by  some  energy.  Its  meaning, 
according  to  the  lexicons,  is,  faculty  of  doings 
iibility.  It  is  quite  different  from  the  word  (IRD) 
which  occurs  in  the  first  part  of  the  verse,  and 
means  strength,  and  shown  to  refer  to  the  ma- 
terial strength  of  his  loins,  or  flanks.  From  this 
difference  of  expressions  must  be  inferred  a  dif- 
ference also  in  the  nature  of  the  things  alluded 
to.  Consequently  these  two  words  should  not  be 
confounded  here  the  one  with  the  other. 

The  Septuagint  render  it  by  dunamis,  which  has 
a  variety  of  meanings,  such  as  abilily^  force ^  vir- 
lue,  energy^  etc.  The  Vulgate  has  virtus^  vigor., 
strength.     Barnes  and  Prof.  Lee  render  it  b}^  vigor. 

From  the  primary  meaning  of  the  word  it 
would  seem  that  the  faculty  of  doing  or  perfor^n- 
ing  work  was  here  meant,  but  not  his  vigor  or 
oiergy.,  as  understoo"d  by  Prof.  Lee  and  others ; 
nor  the  strength  or  firmness  of  any  special  part 
of  his  structure,  as  we  will  more  clearly  under- 
stand  by   what    follows    in  ^  the    balance    of   this 


•     -  IX    THK    BOOK    OF  JOB.  4I 

verse,  and  by  the  gradual  unfolding  of  tlii.s 
description. 

The  intrinsic  value  and  bearing  of  the  original 
words  must  be  admitted  to  be  of  vast  importance 
in  the  present  case ;  and  it  is  only  in  adhering 
closely  to  their  true  meaning  that  we  may  ex- 
pect to  discover  their  true  reference. 

Before  explaining  to  what  this  mysterious 
force  or  faculty  of  doing  ivork  refers,  it  will  be 
necessary,  in  order  to  realize  its  full  bearing,  to 
investigate  also  the  meaning  of  the  words  which 
are  immediately  connected  with  it. 

We  find,  in  most  versions,  that  this  force  is 
said  to  be  "in  the. navel  of  his  belly." 

It  is  also  the  rendering  of  the  Vulgate.  Strange 
to  say,  it  does  not  appear  that  the  original  word, 
as  it  occurs  in  this  passage,  has  ever  been  used 
before  in  the  sense  of  navel. 

The  Septuagint  render  it  by  (o//^a/.or),  omphalos^ 
which,  besides  meaning  navel ^  is  also  used  to 
mean  a  bosse^  and  the  centre  of  a  round  body. 

Barnes,  in  his  Notes,  says :  "  It  is  not  used  to 
denote  the  navel  in  any  place  in  the  Bible,  and 
should  not  have  been  so  rendered  here." 

Prof.  Lee  translates  it  by  firmness,  and  adds  : 
"  Bochart  assumes  here,  after  the  Rabbins,  that 
the  word  signifies  tlie  navel,  which  is  altogether 
groundless  ;  and  then  argues  that  the  elephant 
cannot  be  meant,  because  the  skin  of  his  belly 
is  soft,  while  that  of  the  hippopotamus  is  hard 
and  impenetrable.  He  ought  to  have  seen  that 
there  is  no  ground  for  supposing  that   the    word 


42  A   WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

signifies  navel ;  and  even  if  it  had,  that  it  is  ab- 
surd to  suppose  that  the  strength  of  any  animal 
consists  in  its  navel  ;  and,  further,  allowing  even 
this  to  be  true,  that  the  hardness  or  softness  of 
the  skin,  in  any  case,  can  have  anything  to  do 
with  the  question.  On  my  view,  it  will  apply 
just  as  well  to  the  horse,  the  ass,  the  wild  horse 
and  ass,  to  the  elephant,  etc.,  as  it  will  to  the 
hippopotamus.  I  take  the  technical  term  viscera — 
bowels  with  us — as  exactly  expressing  the  force 
of  (  |t??)  beien.,  in  such  passages  as  this,  and  the 
meaning  to  be,  that  his  internal  texture  is  so  firm 
and  powerful,  that  hence  the  great  strength  visible 
in  the  action  of  his  loins  is  accounted  for." 

Contrary  to  these  views  I  would  say,  that  this 
passage  evidently  refers  to  some  mysterious  power 
or  force  located  inside  of  this  monster's  flank^^and 
that  there  is  no  good  reason  for  the  supposition 
that  it  had  anything  to  do  with  his  bowels,  or 
the  strength  of  his  internal  structure. 

To  say,  as  Prof.  Lee  remarks,  that  the  strength 
of  any  animal  consists  in  its  navel,  is,  indeed, 
absurd.  But,  possibly,  it  is  not  an  animal  which 
is  here  referred  to,  and  that  it  is  only  on  account 
of  the  similarity  of  some  part  of  this  monster's 
body  to  the  navel  that  it  is  here  so  called.  In 
such  a  case  it  might  be  the  seat  of.  some  unsus- 
pected power.  But  I  cannot  agree  that  the  word 
here  means  the  visc>era,  nor  the  possible  firm  and 
powerful  texture  of  these  ;  but  rather  some  inde- 
pendent ability  of  acting  which  was  located  inside 
of  this  monster's  flanks  ;  or  possibly  within  some 


IN    THE    BOOK    OK  JOK.  43 

Other  part  which,  from  its  position  and  appear- 
ance, resembled  the  naveh  It  might  apply  here, 
with  great  propriety,  to  the  steam  dome  of  our 
boilers  which,  from  its  form  and  position  in  the 
centre  of  the  boiler,  and  its  long  connecting  brass 
tube — quite  typical  of  the  navel  string — would 
fulfill  all  the  requirements  of  the  case,  specially 
wdien  we  take  notice  that  it  does  contain  within 
it  the  actual  force^  or  faculty  of  doing  zvork^  of 
this  monster,  viz.,  dry  steam.  It  has  still  a  more 
direct  reference  to  the  boiler  itself  and  to  the  great 
force  of  steam  which  is  within  it,  as  I  will  more 
fully  explain  hereafter.  The  strength  of  the 
behemoth  w^as  spoken  of  in  the  first  part  of  this 
verse,  consequently  it  would  be  a  useless  and 
improbable  repetition  here.  Therefore,  I  conclude 
that  no  reference  can  be  had  here  to  the  strength 
or  firm  texture  of  any  of  his  internal  or  external 
parts. 

Barnes,  commenting  on  this  passage,  says :  "  The 
reference  is  to  the  muscles  and  tendons  of  this 
part  of  the  body  (the  belly),  and  perhaps  par- 
ticularly to  the  fact  that  the  hippopotamus,  by 
crawling  so  much  on  his  belly  among  the  stones 
of  the  stream  or  on  land,  acquires  a  peculiar 
hardness  or  strength  in  those  parts  of  the  body. 
This  clearly  proves  that  the  elephant  is  not  in- 
tended. In  that  animal,  this  is  the  most  tender 
part  of  the  body." 

Really,  this  supposition,  that  the  hippopotamus, 
by  crawling  on  his  belly,  might  perhaps  acquire 
a  peculiar  hardness   and  strength    in  those  parts 


44  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERi' 

of  the  bod}',  is  a  very  gratuitous  one.  Even  so, 
what  remarkable  power  or  strength  could  ther^ 
be  in  such  callous  and  unnatural  formations, 
which,  after  all,  would  only  cover  a  very  insig- 
nificant portion  of  his  body? 

Let  us  see  if  the  original  words  themselves 
could  not  lead  us  to  a  more  satisfactory  solution 
of  this  difficult   problem. 

In  deciding  the  meaning  of  words  occurring 
in  very  ancient  manuscripts,  it  is  essential  to 
study  well  their  primary  meaning,  as ,  their  appli- 
cation and  meaning  are  apt  to  change  with  suc- 
ceeding generations.  Fot-  instance,  the  word 
(TIC^)  sJiarir^  which  is  here  rendered  navel^  is 
derived  from  0")^)  sharar,  meaning  primarily  to 
tiuist^  to  twist  together^  to  go  in  a  cirxle ;  kindred 
with  roots  ("ilt^)  shour^  to  go  round ;  (TlD)  tour^ 
to  sunoiDui;  (*in)  dour^  a  circle.  All  of  which 
contain  the  primary  idea  of  turning  about,  g^^^^g 
in  a  circle,  in  various  modifications,  hence  navel. 
(Gesenius,  lex.) 

According  to  this,  (T")^)  sharir  ought  to  have 
here  a  meaning  in  keeping  with  the  idea  which 
the  root  of  the  word — as  well  as  that  of  many 
kindred  roots — conveys.  As  the  word  is  here  in 
the  plural  form,  it  should  refer  to  parts  twisted 
togftlier,  bent  in  a  circle.  Or,  according  to  kin- 
dred roots,  to  parts  that  went  round,' surrounded, 
encircled  this  monster's  belly.  Therefore,  in  this 
instance,  being  justifie'cl  by  the  context  and  the  evi- 
dent form  of  this  monster's  body,  I  look  upon  this 
word    as    referring    to    certain    parts  which   zvent 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  45 

around  diwdi  completely  rfici/r/rd  this  monster's  body 
as  well  as  ///s  belly ^  within  which  this  mj'sterions 
force ^  ox  faculty  of  performing  luork^  was  located. 

According  to  this,  the  entire  verse  would  mean  : 
"Behold,  also,  his  strength  depends  on  his  loins; 
and  his  faculty  of  performing  w^ork  is  within  the 
encircling  parts  of  his  belly."  The  question  now 
arises,  to  what  can  be  applied  the  meaning  of 
these  encirclmg parts^2i\\di  of  that  mysterious  force 
which   is  located  within   them  ? 

I  believe  that  this  difficult  point  can  be  solved 
from  the  very  words  of  this  description.  In  the 
first  place,  it  is  evident,  from  the  words  of  this 
and  other  passages  already  quoted,  that  these 
encircling  parts  formed  some  sort  of  a  covering 
for  this  creature's  bod}-,  and  that  this  encircled 
him  round  about.  Some  waiters  believe  that  his 
thick  hide  is  here  meant.  Others,  his  scales. 
If  the  reference  be  to  some  similar  parts, — of 
which  I  have  no  doubt — then  I  am  confident 
that  we  have  a  full  description  of  them  in  the 
forty-first  chapter,  verses  13,   15,   16. 

Further,  this  identity  of  parts  between  the  so- 
called  behemoth  and  leviathan  will  be  strong 
evidence  of  the  probabilit\'  of  wdiat  I  have  claimed 
from  the  beginning,  viz.,  that  these  supposed 
different  animals  refer,  in  fact,  to  the  on"fe  and  the 
same  power,  but  described  under  its  different  forms 
and  capacities. 

My  application,  therefore,  to  behemoth,  of  verses 
generally  applied  to  the  leviathan,  will  be  under- 
stood. 


46  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

According  to  the  original  Hebrew,  the  first 
verse  referred  to  above  reads:  "Who  can  strip 
off  the  facings  of  his  covering?"  According  to 
this  it  is  evident  that  this  monster  was  covered 
with  some  sort  of  a  jacket,  or  armor,  made  of 
various  parts  or  facings.  This  is  rendered  still 
more  evident  from  the  verse  which  follows : 
"  His  excellence  depends  on  courses  of  shields 
closed  up  tightly  with  a  seal." 

Surely  this  sounds  very  much  like  some  piece 
of  manufactured  work.  Further,  it  goes  to  show 
that  his  excellence,  or  strength,  depended  on 
numerous  shields,  which  seem  to  have  completely 
covered  his  body,  just  as  must  be  inferred  from 
those  encircling  parts  of  the  belly  of  the  behe- 
moth. But  listen  to  what  the  sixteenth  verse 
reveals  to  us  in  reference  to  the  nature  of  these 
same  shields,  or  encircling  parts,  of  this  monster's 
body.  The  Hebrew  has :  "  They  will  drive  (or 
join)  one  upon  another."  Can  such  expressions 
apply  in  the  case  of  the  crocodile  or  the  hippo- 
potamus ?  Are  w^e  not  clearly  justified  in  infer- 
ring from  these  expressions  that  these  were  iron 
shields ;  that  they  were  driven  and  hammered 
together  as  are  iron  boiler-plates  ?  We  are  even 
told,  as  seen  above,  that  these  courses  of  shields 
were  "closed  up  tightly  with  a  seal;"  exactly 
wl;at  is  done  with  every  boiler  that  is'  made,  viz.: 
calked. 

Having  thus  gained  an  insight  into  the  nature 
and  form  of  these  encircling  parts  of  the  behe- 
moth, let  us  see  what  could  have  been  the  nature 


IN    THE    HOOK    OF  JOB.  47 

of  his  other  great  capacity  called  (1^"iJ<)  oho ^  force, 
pozuer,  energy ;  and  described  as  being  located 
inside  of  these  encircling  parts  of  his  body. 

That  there  must  have  been  some  strange  force, 
or  power,  located  also  within  the  flanks  of  the 
leviathan,  is  evident  from  the  second  part  of  verse 
sixteenth,  just  quoted;  where  it  is  said  of  his 
shields,  "  They  will  drive  (join)  one  upon-  another, 
that  a  hiss  of  air  shall  not  escape  from  between 
them."  And  what  does  this  indicate,  if  not  that 
there  was  some  great  pressure  of  air,  or  vapor, 
or  some  force  confined  within  him,  and  not  allowed 
to  escape  ?  Taking  these  supposed  two  monsters 
as  being  identical,  we  have  clearly  revealed  to  us 
the  nature  of  this  m3^sterious  force  or  faculty  of 
performing  work,  which  was,  singularly  enough, 
also  located  inside  the  strange  encircling  armor  of 
the  behemoth. 

This  same  force,  or  power,  is  evidently  in- 
dicated in  the  eighth  verse,  same  chapter,  which 
reads  :  "  Place  thy  hand  upon  him ;  be  mindful 
of  the  battling  forces  (rage),  and  thou  wilt  ven- 
ture no  further." 

This  is  sufficient  to  prove,  to  the  most  incredu- 
lous, that  there  was  some  mighty  raging  force, 
or  power,  confined  within  the  leviathan;  and  that, 
to  all  appearances,  it  was  the  same  mysterious 
force  represented  as  being  within  the  encircling 
shields  of  the  behemoth;  a  further  evidence  of 
the  similarity  of  the  body  of  these  monsters,  and 
of  the  identity  of  their  nature. 

There  remains  now   the  more   difficult  task  of 


48  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

finding  out  an  animal,  or  rather  a  monster,  which 
can  be  shown  to  possess  such  strange  and  extra- 
ordinar}'  qualities  and  powers. 

Assuredly,  the  hippopotamus,  looked  upon  by 
most  expositors  of  the  present  day  as  the  one 
here  alluded  to,  does  not  come  up  to  these  re- 
quirements. First,  he  has  not  within  his  belly 
that  force  or  ability  so  distinctly  and  separately 
indicated  here,  nor  anything  like  what  would 
suit  the  context. 

Secondly,  there  are  no  parts  about  him  which 
might  be  called  the  encircling  parts  of  his  belly, 
unless  it  be  his  hide,  and  that  is  not  in  parts,  but 
of  one  piece. 

Thirdly,  if  the  energy,  or  force,  referred  to 
here  be  the  same  as  the  pent-up  air,  or  might}' 
rage  not  allowed  to  escape, — which  seems  quite 
evident — then  there  is  nothing  in  the  well-known 
internal  forces  and  capacities  of  the  hippoptamus, 
nor  in  those  of  any  known  animal,  which  re- 
sembles this  in  the  least.  ' 

Let  us  now  see  if  our  modern  monster  of 
strength  and  power  possesses  any  of  these  essen- 
tial requisites. 

His  main  feature  is  an  elongated  tubular-shaped 
boiler,  which,  poetically  or  figuratively  speaking, 
can  very  appropriately  be  called  his  body,  or 
belly  ;  because,  like  an  animal — untcr  which  he  is 
here  likened — this  part  contains  his  vital  power 
or  energy,  and  to  it  are  also  made  fast  his  various 
members.  In  like  manner,  his  rounded  sides ^  can 
very  poetically  be  called  his  flanks. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  49 

This  boiler  is  formed  of  numerous  iron  plates^ 
or  shields,  firmly  bolted  and  hammered  the  one  to 
the  other,  and  tightly  sealed  together.  As  these 
shields  cover  his  body  round  about,  they  neces- 
sarily form  also  the  encircling  parts  of  his  belly. 
Now  within  these  iron  bound  flanks,  or,  inside  of 
these  encircling  parts,  is  generated  an  enormous 
force^  or  capacity  of  doing  work^  called  the  motive 
power  of  this  monster,  his  potential  energy. 

If  we  now  compare  this  pent-up  force  of  our 
iron-shielded  monster  with  that  mysterious  energy, 
or  power  of  the  behemoth,  which  is  said  to  be 
"  within  the  encircling  parts  of  his  belly,"  we 
cannot  help  being  convinced  of  their  identity,  as 
well  as  of  that  of  the  other  parts  here  mentioned. 

This  mysterious  power  which  is  within  the 
behemoth  is  not,  according  to  the  original 
Hebrew,  said  to  be  his  strength^  but  a  force ^  a 
capacity  of  performing  work.,  some  potential  energy. 
And  this  is  exactly  the  case  with  our  steam  engine 
and  boiler;  it  is  its  motive  power  vjhioh.  is  within 
it;  but  its  strength  depends  on  the  firmness  of 
its  flanks.  Therefore  our  iron-bound  monster 
not  only  fulfills  the  requirements  of  this  singular 
and  diflEcult  verse,  but  it  enables  us  to  fully 
realize  the  wisdom  of  the  selection  of  each  of  its 
words,  and  to  appreciate  the  extraordinary  beauty 
of  the  comparison. 

To  it,  undoubtedly,  can  be  applied  these  words 
of  Job :  "  Behold  also,  his  strength  depends  on 
his  loins,  and  his  power  (ability)  is  within  the 
encircling  parts  of  his  belly." 


50 


A   WONDERFUI*   DISCOVERY 


HIS  TAIIv  IS  LIKE  A  CEDAR. 


QBrv)  f  3n! 

It  will  set  upright 

Stringit 

^Vjt 

his  tail 

caudam  suatn 

PK-ioi) 

like  a  cedar ; 

quasi  cedrum 

'I '7^. 

the  ligaments,  couplings  of 

-    nervi  testicu- 

V^P 

his  leaping  parts,  thighs 

lorum  ejus 

I  ^Jinc^! 

will  be  clamped  together. 

perplexi  sunt. 

"  He  moveth  his  tail   like  a  cedar  ;    the   sinews  of  his 
thighs  are  wrapped  together." 


It  has  been  found  very  difficult  to  apply,  in 
their  primary  sense,  the  words  of  this  verse  to 
any  known  animal ;  and,  consequently,  the 
original  has  suffered  much  at  the  hands  of  ex- 
egetists. 

The  tail  of  the  behemoth,  specially,  has  caused 
a  great  deal  of  speculation.  There  must  have 
been  something  very  remarkable  about  it,  since 
it  is  made  the  subject  of  a  particular  description, 
and  especially  when  it  is  compared  to  a  cedar. 
The  difficulties  of  finding"  an  animal  with  such 
a  remarkable  appendage  have  excited  the  sus- 
picions of  many,  and  given  rise  to  varicu.5 
renderings  and  comments. 

The  Vulgate  endeavored  to  avoid  the  difficulty 


IN    THK    lUJOK    Ol'^    J015.  51 

by  rendering :  ''  Striny^it  candam  suam  quasi 
cedrum," — "he  twisteth  up  his  tail  like  a  cedar!*' 
Prof.  Lee  renders :  "  He  maketh  his  tail  to  bend 
like  the  cedar."  Barnes  has  :  "  He  bendeth  his 
tail  like  the  cedar."  I  cannot  see  how  the  original 
.could  have  been  intended  in  any  such  sense  as 
the  above.  For,  virtually,  it  would  make  it 
appear  as  though  it  said,  "  he  bendeth  his  tail  the 
same  as  the  cedar-tree  does."  Then  again,  what 
is  there  in  the  twisting  or  bending  of  an}-  animal's 
tail  that  would  render  it  like  a  mighty  cedar, 
unless  it  actually  had  some  of  its  characteristics  ? 
And  this  is  not  made  to  appear  in  the  above 
renderings. 

The  peculiarity  of  the  cedar  is,  that  it  is 
straight,  tall,  and  durable ;  it  has  a  large  trunk 
and  yields  but  little  to  the  strongest  winds.  It  is 
not  particularly  known  for  moving  or  bending  any 
more  than  ordinary  trees.  In  all  comparisons  of 
things  to  a  cedar-tree,  it  is  generally  on  account  of 
their  possessing  some  of  the  above  qualities.  I  am 
not  aware  that  an  object,  easily  twisted  or  bent, 
has  been  compared  to  a  cedar.  But  the  expres- 
sions, as  tall  as  a  cedar^  as  stro7ig  and  as  durable  as 
a  cedar ^  are  often  met  with.  Moreover  the  tail 
of  an  animal  is  horizontal  or  drooping,  is 
generally  small  in  proportion  to  the  animal ;  it 
is  very  flexible,  and  generally  short.  Unless 
this  monster's  tail  possessed  some  of  the  promi- 
nent features  of  the  cedar-tree,  there  could  exist 
no  proper  comparison.  A  tail,  one  or  two  feet 
long,    could    not,  with    propriety,  be    said    to    be 


c2  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

/w/s/ed  or  moved  like  a  cedar.  Yet  this  is  pre- 
cisely the  case  with  those  who  would  have  us 
accept  the  hippopotamus  or  elephant  as  the  one 
here  alluded  to. 

Rosenmiiller  supposes  the  meaning  to  be  that 
the  tail  of  the  hippopotamus  is  smooth^  roimdy 
thick  and  firm.  But  all  this  is  simply  inferred, 
for  there  is  nothing  in  the  original  to  warrant  it. 

Bochart,  who  contends  that  the  hippopotamus 
is  the  animal  intended,  labors  hard  to  make  this 
passage  apply  to  it.  He  interpets  (X^T\\)  yachephots, 
by  retorqiiet.flectit:  he  twisteth,  bendeth;  and  after 
describing  the  tail  of  the  hippopotamus  as  short, 
thin  and  like  that  of  a  pig,  says  that  this  mon- 
ster can  bend  and  twist  it  at  pleasure ;  and  adds 
that  this  may  be  looked  upon  as  a  proof  of  his 
great  strength. 

Had  he  made  out  this  tail  to  be  as  large  and 
.  as  strong  as  a  cedar-tree,  one  might  acknowledge 
the  propriety  of  supposing  that  the  wielding 
with  f  ase  of  such  an  enormous  appendage  was 
proof  of  great  strength,  and  that  this  might, 
indeed,  be  intended  to  illustrate  his  size  and 
power.  But,  unfortunately,  the  tail  of  the  hippo- 
potamus being  but  a  foot  long,  and  very  slim, 
the  bending  or  twisting  of  it,  ever  so  vigorously, 
could  be  no  proof  of  the  animal's  great  strength. 

Then  again  it  does  not  appear  certain  that 
the  comparison  he4;e  to  a  tall  cedar,  is  intended 
to  prove  the  great  strength  of  the  behemoth  so 
much,  perhaps,  as  some  singular  appearance  or 
position  of  this  monster's- tail. 


.     _  IN    THK    BOOK    OF  JOJi.  53 

Barnes,  alluding  to  the  tail  of  the  hippopotamus., 
says:  "The  point  of  comparison  is  not  tho 
lengthy  but  the  fact  of  its  being  easily  bent  over 
or  curved  at  the  pleasure  of  the  animal.  Why 
this,  however,  should  have  been  mentioned  as 
remarkable,  or  how  the  power  of  the  animal  in 
this  respect  differs  from  others,  is  not  very 
apparent.  Some  who  have  supposed  the  elephant 
to  be  referred  to,  have  understood  this  of  the 
proboscis.  But  though  this  would  be  a  remarka- 
ble proof  of  the  power  of  the  animal,  the  language 
of  the  original  will  not  admit  of  it.  The  Hebrew 
word  (DJJ)  zanav^  is  used  only  to  denote  the 
tail.  It  is  possible  that  there  may  be  here  an 
allusion  to  the  unwielding  nature  of  every  part 
of  the  animal,  and  especially  to  the  thickness 
and  inflexibility  of  the  skin;  and  what  was 
remarkable  was,  that  notwithstanding  this,  this 
member  was  entirely  at  its  command.  Still,  the 
reason  of  the  comparison  is  not  very  clear.  The 
description  of  the  movement  of  the  tail  here 
given  would  agree  much  better  with  some  of 
the  extinct  orders  of  animals  whose  remains 
have  been  recently  discovered  and  arranged  by 
Cuvier,  than  with  that  of  the  hippopotamus. 
Particularly,  it  would  agree  with  the  account  of 

the    ichthyosaurus, though    the    other 

parts  of   the    animal    here    described    would    not 
accord  with  this." 

Such  are  this  author's  views  with  reference  to 
the  unsuitable  application  of  this  passage  to  the 
hippopotamus,  or  tlie  elephant.     In  the  above  he 


54 


A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 


would  seem  to  favor  the  idea  that  the  flexibility 
of  the  tail  of  the  behemoth  was  referred  to ;  yet, 
whilst  alluding  to  this  animal  (Vol.  II.  p.  269), 
he  says :  "  He  is  distinguished  for  some  peculiar 
movement  of  his  tail — some  slow  and  stately 
motion,  or  a  certain  inflexibility  of  the  tail,  like 
a  cedar." 

The  latter  shows  that  Barnes,  though  he  found 
it  difficult  to  make  the  application,  believed  also 
that  the  comparison  here  to  a  cedar  might  per- 
haps be  intended  to  illustrate  the  inflexibility  of 
this  tail ;  and  that  it  was  in  this  peculiarity  that 
it  resembled  a  cedar. 

Adam  Clarke,  commenting  on  the  comparison 
of  this  tail  to  a  cedar,  says :  "  Therefore,  it  was 
neither  the  elephant,  who  has  a  tail  like  that 
of  a  hog,  nor  the  hippopotamus,  whose  tail  is 
only  about  a  foot  long.'' 

Whatever  view  may  be  taken  of  the  meaning 
of  the  first  word  of  this  verse,  rendered,  he 
movetJi^  twisieth^  bendeth ;  one  thing  is  evident, 
that  this  creature's  tail  is,  in  some  respects,  like 
a  cedar-tree.  Consequently  any  tail  which  is 
not,  in  any  respect,  like  a  cedar-tree^  cannot  be 
the  one  here  alluded  to. 

It  is  also  evident,  that  any  twisting  or  bend- 
ing of  a  short  and  thin  tail — like  that  of  the 
hippopotamus,  or  elephant — cannot  make  the 
same  appear  like^  a  cedar ;  therefore  it  cannot 
entitle  its  possessor  to  the  name  of  behemoth^  whose 
tail  is  said  to  be  like  a  cedar. 

The    next    conclusion  ^  to    be    drawn    from  the 


IN   THE   BOOK   OF  JOB.  55 

above  facts  is,  that  the  expression  he  moveth^ 
twisteth^  or  bendeth^  cannot  be  the  proper  otie 
here,  since  such  motions  have  not  the  power  of 
rendering  a  tail  like  a  cedar^  specially  when  the 
tail  supposed  to  be  referred  to  has  none  of  its 
well-known  characteristics.  Moreover,  the  only 
possible  meaning  which  the  Latin  and  English 
translations  could  have,  under  the  circumstances, 
is  that  this  creature  bends  and  twists  his  tail 
as  the  cedar  does,  or  the  same  as  he  bends  and 
twists  a  cedar;  and,  certainly,  no  one  will  ajdmit 
that  he  considers  this  to  be  the  meaning  intended 
here. 

The  solution  of  this  difficult  problem  depends, 
undoubtedly,  on  the  proper  interpretation  of  the 
word  (f^JH)  chaphets.  After  pondering  much 
over  this  word,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  is  quite  possible  that,  at  one  time,  it  read 
(tori;  chaphaz^  which,  phonetically,  differs  but 
little  from  the  above,  and  means  to  rise  tip,  or, 
to  start  up  suddenly.  Here  it  would  mean  that 
this  tail  will  rise  up  suddenly,  without  branch- 
ing off,  or  that  it  will  be  made  to  rise  up  or  set 
upright  like  a  tall  tree. 

I  would  here  refer  to  the  Septuagint  who  seem 
to  have  taken  the  word  in  the  same  sense.  They 
render  this  passage  thus :  "  He  setteth  up  his  tail 
like  a  cypress." 

That  this  is  the  proper  meaning  of  the  original 
Hebrew  word  is  confirmed  also  by  Castell,  who 
renders  it  by  firinabit,  stabiliet,  eriget ;  he  will 
firmly  set,  erect.     A  marginal  reading,  quoted  by 


56  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

several  authors,  has  "  setteth  up^^  as  explanatory 
of  the  meaning  of  the  word.  As  I  have  shown, 
this  is  the  only  meaning  which  can  agree  with 
the  context. 

It  will  be  noticed,  furthermore,  that  it  cannot 
be  argued  that  the  original  makes  the  act  oi 
setting  up  this  tail  as  absolutely  dependent  on 
behemoth,  as  most  all  versions  make  it  appear. 
On  the  contrary,  I  consider  the  proper  reading 
to  be :  "  His  tail  will  set  upright  like  a  cedar." 
By  this  rendering  the  comparison  of  this  append- 
age to  a  cedar  becomes  natural,  and  at  the  same 
time  leaves  us  to  infer  that  it  was  tall,  strong 
and  large.  Had  it  been  short,  or  thin  and  long, 
it  would  have  been  more  natural  to  have  com- 
pared it  to  a  flexible  twig.  All  this  leads  us  to 
infer  that  this  strange  appendage  of  the  so-called 
behemoth  resembled  a  cedar,  not.  from  its  capacity 
to  bend  and  twist,  but  from  its  being  large,  and 
standing  erect,  upright.  Mr.  Good  is  quoted  as 
saying  that  this  monster  must  have  possessed 
"^  rigid  and  enormous  tail,  like  a  cedar." 

These  points  being  settled,  both  from  the  con- 
text and  the  interpretation  of  standard  authors, 
there  now  remains  the  still  more  difficult  task 
of  finding  to  what  sort  of  a  monster  such  a 
description  could  appl3^ 

.  It  is  evident  that  neither  the  elephant  nor 
the  hippopotamus  can  have  any  claims  to  this 
description  ;  and  as,  after  centuries  of  researches, 
n(;ne  more  suitable  have  been  found,  it  would 
seem  useless  to  search  any  further  among  animals 


^  IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  57 

to  find  one  endowed  with  such  extraordinary 
attributes. 

Let  us  now  take  a  glance  at  our  modem  mon- 
ster, as  he  stands  complete  and  ready  for  work, 
and  see  if  we  cannot  discover  something  about 
hira  which  might,  with  propriety,  be  called — in 
the  highly  figurative  language  of  this  description 
— a  tail. 

According  to  all  the  requirements,  it  should  be 
tall  and  strong,  and  set  upright,  and  be  propor- 
tionate to  the  object  with  which  it  is  compared, 
viz.,  a  cedar.  Without  these  requirements,  I 
contend  that  it  cannot  be  the  one  referred  to. 

From  the  general  opinion  of  writers  on  this 
subject,  this  appendage  of  the  behemoth  seems 
to  have  been  specially  mentioned  on  account  of 
its  possessing  some  strange  peculiarity.  The 
reader,  therefore,  should  not  be  astonished  if  he 
should  discover,  for  the  first  time,  that  our 
modern  monster  of  power  possesses,  indeed,  an 
exceptionally  strange  tail,  which  settetJi  upright 
like  a  cedar. 

I  have  reference  to  the  smokestack  of  our 
large  stationary  engines. 

As  you  will  readily  admit,  the  boiler  is  really 
the  main  part,  or  rather  bodyy  of  our  monster; 
as  it  is  not  only  the  largest  part  of  it,  but,  more- 
over, contains  its  vital  power. 

The  head  of  this  body  is  that  end  at  which  is 
located  the  furnace,  and  the  other  extremity  is 
called  the  tail  end^  and  from  this  runs  up  the 
smokestack.     Therefore,  it  is  also  at  the  tail  end 


58  A    WONDERFUL:  DISCOVERY 

of  the  body  of  our .  monster  that  stands  his  enor- 
mous caudal  appendage.  From  the  position  of 
the  latter  arises  the  propriety  of  comparing  it  to 
the  tail  of  an  ■  animal ;  which  comparison,  none 
will  deny,  is  very  natural  and  highly  poetical. 
This  being  understood,  the  reader  will  have  no 
further  trouble  in  comprehending  the  propriety 
of  the  figurative  and  poetical  language;  of  the 
original  description,  and  :  its :  surprising  applica- 
tion to  the  caudal  appendage  of  our  iron  monster. 
It  setteth  uprigJii  like  a  cedar^  according  to  the 
very  words  of  the.  original.  It  is  ./<a;//,  rising  up 
from  twenty  to  seventy -five  feet,-  or  more,  accord- 
ing to  circumstances.  It  is  strongs  being  made 
of  heavy  sheets  of  iron.  It  is  large ^  varying 
with  the  requirements  of  the  boiler  and  engine; 
and  measures  from  two  to  twenty  feet  in  circum- 
ference. And,  finally,  it  is  inflexible^  being  made 
of  iron.  It  is  thus,  in  every  respect,  propor- 
tionate to  the  cedar,  to  which  the  tail  of  the 
behemoth  is  compared. 

I  would  now  ask,  which  of  the  two  resembles 
the  most  the  object  to  which  it  is  compared?  Is  it 
the  tail  of  the  hippopotamus,  which,  as  you  have 
seen,  is  insignificant,  entirel}'  out  of  proportion, 
unworthy  of  notice  in  such  a  sublime  description? 
Or  the  lofty  appendage  of  our  steaming  monster^ 
which  is  majestic  and  ornamental,  and  not  only 
worthy  of  notice  in  such  a  description  as  this, 
but  really  essential  to;  its  completeness?  I  do 
not  fear  that  the  verdict  will  be  adverse  to  our 
champion,  as  lie  seems   to   be  the.  first  and  only 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  59 

one  who  has  furnished  us  a  plausible  solution 
of  the  singular  difficulties  of  this  passage. 

It  might  be  interesting  to  notice  here  that  the 
very  word  stack  (smokestack)  signifies  that  which 
is  sei,  or  made  to  stand  np^  corresponding  exactly 
with  the  meaning  of  the  original  Hebrew  word 
made  use  of  here,  viz.,  to  set  up;  which,  to  say 
the  least,  is  a  very  singular  coincideace. 

This  reference,  to  a  tall  smokestack,  would  indi- 
cate that  the  stationary  engine  and  boiler  are 
here  meant,  as  the  locomotive  has,  comparatively, 
a  small  stack. 

Another  singular  fact  worthy  of  special  notice, 
and  the  very  one  which  led  me,  after  many 
researches,  to  identify  this  mysterious  appendage 
as  the  one  referred  to  here,  was  the  ornamental 
trimmings  which  often  crown  the  top  of  these 
smokestacks.  They  resemble  large  palm  leaves, 
and  really,  at  a  distance,  lend  to  the  whole  the 
appearance  of  a  tall  palm  tree.  I  should  not  be 
surprised  if  the  comparison  of  Job  applied  to  a 
palm  tree  instead  of  a  cedar.  In  reference  to  this, 
it  would  seem  as  if  some  doubts  already  existed  in 
the  days  of  the  Septuagint,  for,  instead  of  cedar^ 
tLey  render  cypress. 

The  palm  tree  has  a  straight,  unbranching, 
cylindric  stem,  terminating  in  a  crown  of  leaves. 
The  great  palm,  a  native  of  Asia  and  Africa, 
attains  to  great  height.  It  was  undoubtedly 
well  known  to  Job,  and  would  serve  admirably 
well  as  a  comparison  here. 

As,  of  old,  the    palm    leaves  were  a  token  of 


6o  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVKRY 

victory  and  triumph,  I  will  accept  them  in  the 
same  sense,  in  this  instance,  for  the  victory  and 
triumph  of  my  iron-clad  monster  over  all  other 
competitors.  He  deserves,  indeed,  to  be  orna- 
mented with  them. 

THR  LIGAMENTS  OF  THE  THIGHS  OF  THE  BEHEMOTH. 

It  would  be  rather  a  hard  task  for  me  to  prove 
that  the  behemoth  and  leviathan  referred  to  our 
steam  motor,  if  I  were  bound  to  accept,  as  in- 
spired, some  of  our  versions  of  this  description. 
The  rendering,  for  instance,  of  the  second  hemi- 
stich of  the  verse  under  consideration,  would  be 
sufficient  to  deter  me  from  further  attempt ;  but, 
fortunatel}^,  the  original  is  at  hand. 

The  Vulgate,  and  after  it  various  translators 
have  rendered  this  passage :  "  Nervi  testiculorum 
ejus  perplexi  sunt."  I  cannot  understand  why 
the  primary  meaning  of  the  original  words 
should  have  been  thus  ignored.  There  certainly 
exists  no  good  reason  for  the  above  rendering. 
Some  have  translated  :  "The  sinews  of  his  thighs 
are  knit  together."  This  is  by  far  preferable  to 
the  ordinary  English  version.  Yet  I  do  not 
consider  it  to  be  the  meaning  intended  here.  In 
the  first  place,  it  does  not  seem  probable  that 
the  sinews  of  his  thighs  would  be  knit  together^ 
or  wrapped  together^  any  more  than  t'he  sinews 
of  any  other  part  of  his  body.  Even  so,  there 
would  be  nothing  very^  extraordinary  about  this. 
In  the  second  place,  we  have  just  been  told,  in 
the  previous  verse,  that   his  strength  was    in  his 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  6l 

loins,  and  his  force  within  the  encircling  parts 
of  his  belly.  This  would  have  been  the  place 
to  have  spoken  about  his  sinews^  if  some  pecu- 
liarity of  these  had  been  intended  as  a  proof  of 
his  strength. 

From  the  wording  of  this  passage  it  seems 
evident  to  me  that  it  is  the  peculiar  coupling  of 
his  joiiits  which  is  alluded  to,  and  not  the  manner 
in  which  his  sinews  are  knit  or  wrapped  together. 

The  Septuagint  render  it :  "  His  sinews  are 
interwoven."  By  this  rendering  they  leave  out 
the  important  word  ihigh^,  which  is  a  serious  omis- 
sion. 

Barnes  supposes  that  the  object  of  the  descrip- 
tion is  to  inspire  'a  sense  of  the  power  of  the 
animal,  or  of  his  capacity  to  inspire  terror  or 
dread ;  and  hence  that  the  allusion  here  is  to 
those  parts  which  were  fitted  to  convey  this 
dread,  or  this  sense  of  his  power — to  wit,  his 
strength.  He  therefore  renders  :  "  The  sinews 
of  bis  terror  are  wrapped  together."  He  then 
explains  that  by  terror  is  meant  tJiose  parts 
jilted  to  inspire  terror^  viz.,'  his  thighs  or 
haunches^  as  being  formidable  in  their  aspect,  and 
the  seat  of  strength. 

I  must  confess  that  I  cannot  see  the  propriety 
of  introducing  here  the  word  terror.  The  idea  in- 
tended to  be  conveyed  by  the  original  is  more 
likely  to  have  been  that  of  strength ;  then,  pos- 
sibly, that  of  certain  remarkable  peculiarity  in 
the  manner  in  which  the  various  parts  of  his 
limbs  were  united  together. 


62  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

Most  of  the  trouble  in  this  passage  has  ori- 
ginated with  the  misinterpretation  of  the  word 
(l*jl)  gid,  rendered  sinews.  It  signifies,  accord- 
ing to  the  root  of  the  word,  to  bind^  to  tie  to- 
getJicr^  to  couple ;  hence,  a  nej^vc^  a  sinew ^  a  ten- 
don. 

As  the  word  occurs  in  the  form  of  a  noun  in 
the  plural,  it  would  mean,  in  the  primary  sense 
of  the  Avord,  parts  serving  to  bind^  ties^  couplings^ 
joints.  The  reference  here,  then,  would  be  to 
those  parts  which  serve  as  a  means  -of  uniting, 
or  coupling  together,  two  movable  parts,  whether 
these  be  bones,  wood  or  metal.  In  anatomy 
they  are  called  ligaments ;  in  mechanics,  coup- 
lings;  in  cabinet  work,  tenons.  The  proper  word 
here  would  be  ligaments,  or  couplings. 

The  word  ("^DS)  pac/iad  rendered  thigh.,  has 
as  its  primary  meaning  that  of  leaping.,  spring- 
ing ;  then  thigh ;  then  trepidatioji.  When  the 
word  occurs  in  the  plural  or  dual  form,  says 
Geseuius,  it  means  the  thighs. 

I  take  the  primary  meaning  of  this  word,  viz., 
that  of  leaping,  or  that  of  moving  up  and  down, 
as  indicating  the  exact  parts  referred  to  here, 
but  fi,guratively  called  his  thighs.  For,  from 
what  we  have  already  seen  of  the  nature  of  this 
monster,  we  cannot  suppose  this  word  is  in- 
tended to  be  taken  literally,  but  raUier  figura- 
tively for  some  parts  which  are  to  it  what  the 
thighs  are  to  an  animal,  that  is,  its  means  of 
propulsion. 

In  the  steam  engine  you  will  recognize  these 


IN   THE    KOOK   OF  JOB.  '  63 

to  be  the  movable  connecting  rods  and  pit- 
mans.  They  are  united  the  one  to  the  other  by- 
means  of  various  couplings,,  straps  and  bolts,  or 
ratlier  keys.  These  connecting  rods  are  strong 
and  heavy,  and  made  of  solid  iron.  Their  move- 
ments are  fourfold  ;  forward,  up,  down,  and  back- 
ward, and  resemble  the  motions  of  a  boy's  lower 
limbs  when  propelling  a  velocipede,  or  like  those 
of  the  arm  of  a  person  turning  a  crank. 

When  propelling  a  fly-wheel,  or  the  large 
driving-wheels  of  a  locomotive,  they  really  appear 
to  be  constantly  leaping  forward.  The  very  mo- 
tion of  these  parts,  therefore,  corresponds  exactly 
with  the  primary  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  word 
by  which  they  are-  designated  These  massive 
bars  of  iron  are  to  the  steam  engine  what  the 
thighs  are  to  an  animal,  viz.,  a  means  of  pro- 
pulsion. The  steam  from  the  boiler,  entering  the 
steam  chest  and  cylinder,  forces  to  and  fro  the 
piston  and  piston-rod  to  which  is  connected  the 
pitman,  and  to  this  the  connecting  rod,  which 
latter  is  made  fast  to  a  crank  on  the  large  driv- 
ging-wheels  of  a  locomotive ;  or,  in  stationary  en- 
incs,  to  an  eccentric  on  the  shaft  of  a  fly-wheel, 
and  by  these  means  exerts  its  power,  either  in 
propelling  itself  or  in  setting  in  motion  ponder- 
ous machinery.  Poetically  or  figuratively  speak- 
ing, these  parts  may,  therefore,  be  well  called  the 
limbs  or  thighs  of  the  steam  engine,  as  they  are 
not  only  its  movable  parts  but  also  its  means 
of  propulsion. 

What  is  meant  by    the   word  rendered   sinews 


64  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

can  now  be  well  understood  to  refer  to  those 
parts  which  seem  to  unite  together  these  mas- 
sive connecting  rods  and  pitmans,  yet  allowing 
each  part  its  proper  motion,  the  same  as  the  liga- 
ments do  to  which  these  are  compared.  The 
manner  in  which  these  massive  bars  are  con- 
nected is  clearly  indicated  by.  the  word  (<51l?) 
sharag,  meaning  to  interweave^  to  connect  together. 

The  Arabic  is  still  better,  as  it  means  to  clap 
together ;  which  is  equal  to  our  English  expres- 
sion to  clamp  together^  to  conple  together. 

Therefore  I  render,  *'  the  ligaments  (or  coup- 
lings) of  his  thighs  will  be   clamped    together." 

The  difficulties  of  this  verse  have  been  recog- 
nized by  all ;  but  I  hope  to  have  succeeded  in 
demonstrating  its  true  meaning  and  reference. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB. 


65 


HIS  BONES  ARE  TUBES  OF  METAL  AND  BARS 
OF  IRON. 


Verse  18. 


vpv^^ 

His  bones  are 

Ossa  "ejus 

'P'5^^^ 

tubes,  channels 

velut  fistulae 

ncnm 

of  copper,  brass ; 

aeris; 

vbn^ 

his  solid  bones  are 

cartilage  illius 

^dVd 

as  hammered  out  bars 

quasi  laminae 

:^ra 

of  iron. 

ferreas. 

"  His  bones  arc  as  strong  pieces  of  brass  ;  his  bones  are 
like  bars  of  iron."  

Even  the  casual  reader  will  notice  that  there 
must  be  something  wrong  in  the  above  English 
rendering  of  this  verse.  Evidently  all  the  bones 
of  this  monster  could  not  have  been  like  pieces  of 
brass  and  at  the  same  time  like  bars  of  iron ;  for 
there  is  too  much  difference  in  the  appearance 
and  tensile  strength  of  these  metals.  It  would 
seem  more  probable  that  the  original  referred  to 
dilBferent  kinds  of  bones,  and  that  these  varied  in 
appearance  and  qualit3^  In  fact,  upon  investiga- 
tion, we  find  that  the  original,  as  well  as  the 
Vulgate  and  French  versions,  make  quite  a  dis- 
tinction between  these  bones. 

Another  very  important  fact  to  wliich  I  would 
call  the  reader's    attention,  is,  that  in    nearly  all 


66  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

translations  these  bones  are  made  to  appear  as 
though  they  were  simply  compared  fo  strong  pieces 
of  brass,  and  to  bars  of  iron,  whilst  in  the  origin 
nal  Hebrew  there  is  absolutely  no  expression 
which  indicates  any  such  comparison.  Neither 
can  I  admit  that  the  words  are  necessarily  under- 
stood. As  the  case  now  stands,  the  addition  or 
omission  of  such  an  expression  is  of  vast  im- 
portance;  for  there  is  a  great  difference  between 
having  bones  of  solid  iron,  and  bones  like  iron, 
or  like  brass.  The  Hebrew  has,  literally,  "  His 
bones,  tubes  of  brass;  his  solid  bones,  as  ham- 
mered out  bars  of  iron."  The  prefix  preposi- 
tion (D)  aiph  is  not  before  the  word  iron^  but 
before  hammered  out.  With  the  proper  construc- 
tion this  second  hemistich  would  read,  "  his  solid 
bones  <2r^  bars  of  iron  as  if  hammered  out." 

The  Hebrew  word  (DVIJ,)  atzam^  rendered  bones 
has,  as  primary  meaning,  that  of  to  bi7id  fast,  to 
tie  up ;  then  a  bone^  so  called  from  its  hardness 
and  strength.  The  original  word  has  also  the 
meaning  of  to  be  numerous^  which  has  a  singular 
application  here,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter.  The 
Septuagint  render  by  "  a«  ■r:'k£vpai.  avrcrv^''  his  ribs.  The 
Vulgate,  "ossaejus,"  his  bones.  It  would  seem, 
from  the  derivation  of  the  word,  that  the  parts 
or  bones  here  referred  to,  were  so-called  on  ac- 
count of  being  bound^  or  -made  fast ;  or  on  ac- 
count of  their  great  number.  Both  meanings  of 
the  word  would  apf>ly  well  to  our  iron  monster. 

The  word  (*p^0^)  apJiikay^  rendered  strong  pieces^ 
means,  according  to  the  root  of  the  word,  to  hold^ 


IN    THK    BOOK    OP^   JOH.  6j 

io  contain ;  then  a  pipc^  a  tnbe^  a  channel^  from 
the  idea  of  holdings  containing ;  hence  strongs 
firm.  Undoubtedly  pipes,  or  tubes  are  here  al- 
luded to;  tubes  of  brass.  The  Septuagint  pass 
over  the  word  tubey  but  repeat  the  former,  "  ir^n>pot 
xahiEiai^'' — ribs  of  brass.  Prof  Lee  gives  the 
literal  meaning  as  being  "  channels  of  copper," 
and  remarks,  "  This  is  applied  apparently  to  the 
hollow  bones  of  the  thighs,  etc.,  which  contain  the 
marrow." 

Barnes,  on  this  passage,  says:  "The  circumstance 
here  adverted  to  was  remarkable  because  the  com- 
mon residence  of  the  animal  was  the  water,  and 
the  bones  of  aquatic  animals  are  generally 
hollow,  and  much  less  firm  than  those  of  land 
animals.  It  should  be  observed  here,  that  the 
word  rendered  brass  in  the  Scriptures  most  proba- 
bly denotes  copper.  Brass  is  a  compound  metal, 
composed  of  copper  and  zinc;  and  there  is  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  art  of  compounding 
it  was  known  at  as  early  a  period  of  the  world 
as  the  time  of  Job."  This  may  be,  but  Barnes 
forgets  that  it  is  the  Lord  who  is  here  speaking. 

Then  again  I  do  not  admit  that  all  the  bones 
of  this  monster  are  said  to  be  solid.  Neither  are 
ail  those  of  the  hippopotamus ;  nor  those  of  any 
other  animal  which  has  been  proposed  as  the  one 
alluded  to  here. 

A  French  translation  has :  *'  Ses  os  sont  des 
barres  d'airain."  Umbreit  renders :  "  His  bones 
are  tubes  of  brass."  In  these  renderings  you 
will  notice  that  these  bones  are  not  compared  to 


68  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

brass,  or  copper,  but  they  are  properly  said  to  be 
of  brass,  and  not  like  brass.  The  Septuagint  have 
taken  the  same  view  of  the  meaning  of  the  origi- 
nal. Thus  I  am  not  the  only  one  who  has  con- 
sidered this  the  proper  meaning  of   the  Hebrew. 

Then  again,  Gesenius,  Rosenmiiller  and  Noyes 
also  render  tubes,  instead  of  strong  pieces  of  brass. 
Schultcns  has  alvei,  channels. 

It  appears  then  evident  from  the  original,  and 
from  the  opinion  and  rendering  of  these  learned 
authors,  that  the  so-called  bones^  referred  to  in 
the  first  part  of  this  \erse,  were  tubular,  and  not 
solid.  Therefore  it  would  be  proper  to  render 
"  His  hollow  bones  are  tubes  of  brass."  This 
would  establish  the  required  distinction  between 
the  two  sets  of  bones  mentioned  in  this  verse ; 
and  give  us,  at  the  same  time,  a  far  better  reading. 

Such  being  the  meaning  of  the  original  Hebrew, 
the  question  might  be  asked — If  these  parts  be 
really  and  substantially  tubes  of  brass,  why  are 
they  called  bones  f  The  answer  is  plain,  and  has 
already  been,  suggested,  viz. :  that,  throughout 
this  highly  poetical  description,  the  various  parts 
and  attributes  of  this  so-called  behetnotk  are 
likened  to  corresponding  parts  in  various  animals. 

Hoping  to  have  settled  the  meaning  that  we 
should  attach  to  the  important  words  of  this  verse, 
and  to  have  succeeded  in  doing  so  Is  much  from 
the  direct  affirmative  character  of  the  expressions 
themselves,  as  from^  the  authorities  quoted,  who 
could  not  have  been  biased  in  favor  of  my  views ; 
I    would    question    whether     the    original    words 


IN    THE    HOOK    OI''   JOB.  69 

:ould  be,  at  all,  applied  to  any  known  animal, 
living  or  extinct.  Even  allowing  the  ordinary 
English  rendering,  and  others,  could  the  hollow 
bones  of  the  hippopotamus,  or  of  the  elephant,  be 
properly  compared  to  pieces  of  brass^  or  tubes  of 
brass.  If  these  bones  were  said  to  be  like  strong 
•tubes  of  iro7i^  there  might  be  some  plausibility 
for  supposing  that  the  comparison  was  intended 
to  prove  the  great  strength  of  these  bones ;  for 
the  expression  like  iron  is  often  made  use  of  to 
denote  great  strength.  But  to  liken  to  tubes  of 
copper  or  brass  the  bones  of  a  monster  which  is 
represented  as  the  most  extraordinary  and  most 
powerful  on  earth,  is  not  saying .  much  for  his 
strength;  nor  does  it  come  up  to  the  idea  one- 
would  have  of  the  bones  of  such  an  animal. 
Brass  is  not  comparatively  strong;  neither  is  it 
ever  used  as  typical  of  great  strength.  It  is  even 
said  in  this  very  description  that  brass  is  to  him 
as  rotten  wood  (xli.  27).  Therefore  to  compare 
the  bones  of  a  powerful  monster  to  tubes  of  brass 
would  not  be  saying  much  in  his  favor. 

Moreover,  has  it  been  conclusively  shown,  by 
the  advocates  of  the  hippoptamus,  or  of  the  ele- 
phant, that  these  animals  have  indeed  bones, 
which,  for  strength,  color,  or  other  peculiarities, 
resemble  tubes  of  brass?  Not  only  has  it  not 
been  conclusively  or  even  plausibly  shown,  but 
all  of  them  touch  very  lightly  on  this  verse,  tak- 
ing it  for  granted  that  it  is  intended  to  denote 
the  strength  of  the  bones  of  this  animal. 

But    when    one    examines    minutely    into    the 


yo  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

i^eiieral  flow  of  this  description,  he  perceives 
that  such  a  comparison  would  be  out  of  place. 
And, finally^  when  he  resorts  to  the  original  for 
a  solution  of  these  strange  comparisons,  he 
discovers  tliat  there  exists,  in  fact,  no  such  a 
comparison,  but  rather  the  no  less  perplexing 
statement  that  these  bones  are  really  and  sub- 
stantially tubes  of  brass.  As  there  occur  no 
prefix  of  comparison  before  any  of  the  words  of 
this  hemistich,  I  have  a  full  right  to  claim  that 
it  was  not  intended,  and  should  not  be  substi- 
tuted,especially  if  I  can  show  that  it  has  a  very 
plausible  meaning  and  reference  without  it. 

Let  us  now  take  a  glance  at  our  steam  engine 
and  boiler,  and  see  if  there  are  any  parts  about  it 
which  are  tubes  of  brass,  or  of  copper ;  and  which 
might,  in  the  language  of  this  description,  be 
likened  to  his  hollow  bones. 

Those  who  are  well  acquainted  with  the  con- 
struction of  the  steam  boiler,  are  well  aware  that 
there  are  connected  with  it  a  number  of  copper 
and  brass  pipes  which  serve  to  convey  steam, 
water  and  even  flames  to  and  from  its  various 
parts.  Some  of  these  pipes  are  quite  large  and 
long ;  others  are  small  tubes.  But  the  most 
remarkable  and  numerous  of  these  pipes  occur 
inside  of  the  boiler  itself,  and  are  called  flues. 
/riiey  vary  in  number  according  to  the  size  or 
requirements  of  the  boiler;  some  having  as  many 
as  two  hundred.  They  extend  the  entire  length 
of  the  boiler,  and  are  made  fast  to  the  heads  at 
eacli  end  of  it. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OP"   JOB.  71 

These  boilers  are  called  tubular  boilers.  These 
tubes  serve,  not  only  as  a  means  of  conducting 
the  heat  of  the  furnace  through  the  mass  of 
water  to  be  vaporized,  but  also  to  strengthen  the 
heads  at  each  end  of  the  boiler. 

In  man}'  upright  boilers  these  tubes,  instead 
of  extending  longitudinally  through  the  boiler, 
are  coiled  inside;  and  a  sectional  view,  of  them, 
thus  coiled,  resembles  very  much    ribs    of  brass. 

If  we  now  compare  the  tubes  and  pipes  of 
brass  and  of  copper  of  our  modern  creature  of 
power,  with  the  hollow  bones  of  the  behemoth, 
we  will  recognize  that  they  are,  in  every  respect, 
what  the  original  words  of  this  description  call 
for,  viz.,  tubes  of  copper^  or  of  brass.  They  are 
not  merely  like  tubes,  but  real  tubes.  Not 
merely  like  copper  or  brass,  but  substantially 
made  of  either.  They  can,  very  poetically,  be 
said  to  be  the  hollow  bones  of  this  monster ;  for 
like  the  bones  of  an  animal  they  constitute  an 
essential  part  of  his  body,  and  serve  to  strengthen 
it;  being  in  fact  a  part  of  his  frame  work. 

In  certain  types  of  upright  boilers,  as  I  have 
just  referred  to,  these  tubes  of  copper,  being 
coiled  within  the  boiler  may,  very  appropriately, 
be  likened  to  the  ribs  of  his  body,  thus  even 
agreeing  with  the  rendering  of  the  Scptuagint. 
who  translate,  "  His  ribs  are  ribs  of  brass." 

We  have  seen  that  the  original  word  made 
use  of  to  designate  these  hollow  bones,  has  also, 
as  its  primary  meaning,  that  of  to  bind  fast ; 
then    also    that    of  to  be    numerous,  many.     With 


72  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

our  modern  monster  we  can  see  the  singular 
application  of  these  two  definitions.  For  these 
tubes,  or  flues,  besides  being  generally  very 
numerous  in  certain  types  of  boilers,  are  made 
fast  to  each  head  of  the  boiler,  and  serve,  in 
great  measure,  to  bind  and  strengthen  them. 

So  well  do  the  words  of  the  original  suit  our 
modem  behemoth,  that  of  it  only  does  it  seem 
possible  to  say,  "  His  hollow  bones  are  tubes  of 
brass." 

In  most  translations  the  second, part  of  this 
verse  is  rendered :  "  His  bones  are  like  bars  of 
iron."  In  the  original  these  bones  are  designated 
by  a  word  different  from  the  first,  and  were  it 
not  for  the  explanation  which  follows  there  would 
be  no  ready  means  of  ascertaining  whether  it  was 
intended  for  hollow  or  solid  bones.  Schultens 
renders,  his  solid  bones.  This  the  context  seems 
to  require,  says  Prof.  Lee,  "  hence  ~  the  com- 
parison ...  as  a  bar  of  iron."  The  Vulgate  ren- 
ders, "  cartilago  illius,"  his  gristle.  But  this  does 
not  express  the  plurality  of  parts  indicated  by  the 
original  word. 

The  Septuagint  differ  somewhat ;  they  have  rachis 
(pa;r'f),  which  means  the  spine ^  or  back  bone. 
But  it  is  evident  that  the  original  word  could 
not  have  been  intended  to  refer  to  this,  as  the 
word  occurs  in  the  plural  form.  Th^n  the  spine 
of  animals  is  not  solid^  as  it  must  be  inferred  that 
these  bones  were,  froiil  the  fact  that  they  are  said 
to  be  bars  of  iron  as  if  hammered  out. 

The  most  important,  as  well  as  the  most  singu- 


IN    TIIH    UOOK    OI-    JOl'..  73 

lar  word  in  this  passage,  is,  (^*Pp)  nuUil^  a  liavi- 
■mered  bar;  from  the  root  (^^^)  matal,  meaning 
to  draw  out,  to  make  Long ;  hence  to  forge,  to 
havimer.  Adding  to  this  the  meaning  of  the 
prefix  prepositions  (?)  caph,  which  is,  as,  as  if, 
like;  we  have,  as  ij  hammered  out  bars. 
Thus  the  entire  passage  should  read :  "  His  solid 
bones  are  bars  of  iron  as  if  hammered  out."  I 
consider  it  of  importance  to  notice  here,  that  the 
preposition  as,  as  if,  does  not  occur  before  the 
word  iron,  but  is  prefixed  to  the  previous  word, 
thus,  as  ham^nered  out ;  so  that  the  particle  of 
comparison  does  not  apply  directly  to  the  word 
iron,  as  though  it  were  said,  his  bones  are  as 
iron,  or  like  iron.  'Therefore  I  consider  that  the 
proper  rendering  here  is  :  ''  His  solid  bones  un- 
bars of  iron  as  if  hammered  out."  Taking  this 
view  of  it,  it  becomes  evident  that  the  original 
:isserts  that  these  so-called  bones  were  indeed  solid 
bars  of  iron,  and  that  this  iron  appeared  as  if 
hammered  out. 

Moreover  this  interpretation  is  required  in 
order  to  establish  a  proper  correspondence  be- 
tween the  quality  of  these  bones  and  that  of  his 
hollow  ones,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  are  dis- 
tinctly said  to  be  of  brass. 

The  Septuagint  must  have  had  the  same  view 
of  the  meaning  of  the  original,  since  they  do  not 
express  any  comparison ;  simply  asserting  that 
these  parts  were  of  iron  hammered  out,  or  cast. 

Rosenmtiller  quoting  the  Arabic,  gives  here, 
dp  fcrro ;  cusum  et  in  longum  exte?is?ini. 


74  A    WONDERIUL    DISCOVERY 

Here  then  occurs  the  extraordinary  statement 
that  the  solid  bones  of  the  behemoth  were  bars 
of  iron  ;  and  that  these  had  the  appearance  of 
having  been  forged^  hainmered  out.  The  im- 
portance of  this  passage  becomes  now  more  evi- 
dent than  ever,  since  we  have  now  in  our  midst 
a  monster  full  of  vigor  and  of  .enormous  power, 
whose  hollow  bones  are  tubes  of  brass,  and  his 
solid  bones  bars  of  iron  hammered   out. 

As  to  the  bones  of  the  hippopotanius  being 
alluded  to  here,  I  would  say  that  no.  substantial 
claim  has,  or  can  be  put  forth  that  they  are  in 
au}^  way  differently  constructed  or  composed,  or 
in  any  way  stronger  than  those  of  other  animals 
of  liis  size.  Neither  does  it  appear  that  there  is 
an}'  thing  sufficiently  extraordinary  about  the 
bones  of  the  elephant  to  warrant  their  compari- 
son to  solid  bars  of  iron  hammered  out. 

Therefore,  why  should  their  bones,  niore  than 
those  of  other  animals,  be  compared  to  hollow  or 
solid  metal?  Moreover,  are  there  in  the  hippo- 
potamus bones  so  extraordinary  for  their  solidity 
and  length,  that  they  could  be  compared  with 
])ropriety  to  solid  bars  of  iron  elongated,  ham- 
mered out  ?  Arid  are  there  others  so  hollow  and 
thin  that  they  can  be  compared  to  tubes  of  brass, 
which  are  generally  very  thin  in  proportion  to 
their  size? 

The  advocates  of  the  hippopotamus  are  silent 
(Ml  these  important  poiltits.  I  would  therefore  con- 
clude that,  as  this  extraordinary  verse  calls  for 
something  peculiar  and  wonderful,  something  far 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  75 

beyond  what  is  common  to  animals,  that  neither 
the  hippopotamus  nor  the  elephant  can  lay  any 
substantial  claims  to  it. 

If  we  now  look  to  our  iron  monster  for  a  solu- 
tion, it  will  not  be  difficult  to  find,  among  the 
numerous  bars  of  iron  of  all  sizes  which  are  con- 
nected with  the  -engine  and  boiler,  such  as  will 
fulfill  the  requirements  of  this  passage. 

Among  its  numerous  solid  bars  of  iron  are, 
'first,  the  exterior  ones,  which  form  part  of  the 
engine,  such  as  the  strong  and  ponderous  con- 
necting-rods and  pitmans.  They  are  made  of 
solid  bars  of  iron,  carefully  forged  and  ham- 
mered out.  In  large  stationary  engines  they  are 
of  enormous  size  and  weight  ;  a  single  one  of 
them  would  outweigh  the  largest  known  hippo- 
potamus. Then  there  are  numerous  iron  rods 
and  bars  of  all  sizes  which  form  parts  of  the 
engine  or  of  its  frame  work.  In  a  locomotive 
most  of  these  parts  are  double,  besides  a  num- 
ber of  others  not  necessary  in  an  ordinary  sta-. 
tionary  engine. 

Secondly,  the  interior  ones,  which  are  the  mas- 
sive cast  iron  bars  which  form  the  fire  grate, 
and  are  located  inside  the  fire-box. 

Either  of  these  two  sets  of  solid  iron  bars 
answers  the  description.  vSo  that  our  modem 
behemoth  is  not  wanting  in  solid  bones  of  iron 
as  if  hammered  out  or  cast. 

But  it  seems  to  me  that  this  description  is 
such  a  perfect  one,  that  these  solid  bones,  or 
bars  of  iron,  cannot  refer  promiscuously  to  either 


76  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

or  all  of  these  bars  and  rods,  and  that  some 
special  ones  are  here  intended. 

As  these  are  likened  to  the  bones  of  this  mon- 
ster, and  that  the  bones  of  animals,  with  the 
exception  of  their  horns,  or  tusks,  are  located 
within  the  different  parts  of  their  body ;  there- 
fore in  order  that  the  comparison  of  these  bars 
of  iron  to  bones,  be  complete  and  proper,  it 
seems  to  me  necessary  that  they  should  be 
looked  for  among  the  inner  parts  of  the  body  of 
our  competitor ;  the  same  as  we  have'  seen  that 
his  hollow  bones  were  located  inside  of  his  body.  I 
therefore  consider  that  the  large  cast-iron  bars  which 
form  the  grate  of  the  fire-box,  may  be  those  spe- 
cially referred  to  here,  as  they  are  virtually  inside 
of  a  part  of  the  body  of  our  great  monster. 

If  at  this  moment  the  inner  construction  of 
the  boiler  was  being  shown  to  Job,  then  the  nume- 
rous tubes  running  through  the  entire  length  of 
the  boiler,  and  the  large  solid  cast-iron  grate-bars, 
would  be  the  first  strange  objects  which  would  ex- 
cite his  admiration;  therefore  the  description,  in 
this  verse,  in  the  order  in  which  it  occurs. 

How  grand  and  poetic  this  verse  appears, 
when  we  look  upon  its  words  as  applying  to  our 
wonderful  steam  motor.  Indeed  "  His  hollow  bones 
are  tubes  of  brass  ;  his  solid  bones  are  bars  of 
iron  as  if  hammered   out." 

Surely,  those  who  hold  to  a  literal  interpreta- 
lion  and  to  the  refere'hce  of  this  description  to 
:iu  animal  (not  yet  known),  will  have  some  trouble 
to  get  over  the  weighty  assertions  of  this  verse. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB. 


77 


IT  IS  THE  GREATEST  OF  THE  METHODS 
OF  POWER. 


N^n 

He,  or  it,  is 

Ipse  est 

n^^N"). 

chief,  greatest 

principium 

-»D-^^ 

of  the  ways,  methods 

viarum 

^s 

of  power,  might ; 

Dei, 

ib^i^n 

the  one  making  him 

qui  fecit  eum 

^y 

will  apply  unio  him 

applicabit 

i:?Sn 

his  sword. 

gladiumejus. 

"  He  is  the  chief  of  the  ways  of  God  :  he  that  made  hi:u 
can  make  his  sword  to  approach  unto  him." 

This  verse  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  to  render, 
and,  as  it  now  stands  in  our  various  translations, 
is  one  of  the  hardest  to  understand.  Yet  I  hope 
to  succeed  in  throwing  some  light  upon  its  mean- 
ing and  reference.  I  expect  that  it  will  be  re- 
cognized to  be  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  of 
this  great  prophecy.  As  a  general  rule,  those 
verses  which  have  perplexed  expositors  the  most, 
have  furnished  me  with  the  strongest  evidence 
in  support  of  my  views.  This  one,  I  surmise,  will 
not  be  an  exception.  As  the  subject  of  this  de- 
scription was  a  hard  one  to  ascertain,  there 
naturally  arose  a  great  deal   of  doubt    as    to    the 


yS  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

proper  rendering  of  the  comprehensive  ex.pres- 
sions  of  the  original.  Morever,  translators,  doubt- 
ful of  the  real  meaning  and  reference  of  difficult 
passages,  often  render  them  by  non-committal  ex- 
pressions, which  can  never  serve  to  solve  a 
difficult3^ 

It  is  hard  to  understand  what  can  be  meant 
here  by  saying  that  this  supposed  beast  is  the  chiej 
of  the  ways  of  God ;  and  that  he  that  viade  Jiim  can 
make  his  .swo7^d  to  approach  unto  him.  Can  it  be 
supposed  that  God,  who  is  here  represented  as 
speaking  to  Job,  would  say,  "  He  is  the  chief  of 
the  ways  of  God,"  instead  of,  "He  is  the  chief 
of  my  ways?"  Or,  that  He  would  speak  of  His 
own  work  as  though  it  were  that  of  some  one 
else?  For,  such  is  the  inference  which  can  be 
drawn  from  the  passage,  "  he  that  made  him  can 
make  his  sword  to  approach  unto  him ; "  or  rather, 
more  literally,  "the  one  making  him  will  apply 
his  sword  unto  him." 

Were  it  a  created  animal  that  was  being  alluded 
to,  this  mode  of  expression  would  appear,  to  say 
the  least,  very  singular.  But  if  we  look  upon  this 
description  as  referring  to  some  powerful  mechan- 
ical device,  the  product  of  man's  ingenuity,  we 
perceive  at  once  the  reason  of  this,  otherwise  sin- 
gular, passage. 

After  a  close  investigation,  I  find  tiiat  the  first 
part  of  this  verse  is  susceptible  of  two  different 
interpretations.  First;  "  He  is  chief  of  the  ways 
of  God ;"  Second,  "  He  is  chief  of  the  methods  of 
power."      The  only  means    there  is    of   deciding 


IN    THE    BOOK    OK   JOB.  79 

as  to  the  proper  one,  is  the  requirements  of  the 
context.  The  difficulty  arises  from  the  various 
meanings  of  the  word  ('?N)  el.  Its  primary  mean- 
ing is,  strong^  niigJUy^  a  mighty  one  ;  th^n,  strejigtk, 
mighty  power ;  hence,  God^  The  Abnighty^  The 
Mighty  one.  In  Gen.  xxxi.  29,  we  find  (H^.'^^?'?  ^*.) 
yesh  lei  yadi^  i.  e.^  it  is  in  the  power  oi  my  hand. 
P^z.  xxxi.  ii.  (D^.1<3  *?{<)  el  goim^  the  mighty  one 
among  the  nations.  Is.  ix.  5,  pl^rl  '^N)  el  gibbor, 
the  m.ighty  hero.  Concerning  the  meaning  of  this 
word,  Gesenius  remarks:  "  Following  the  example 
of  most  etymologists,  we  have  above  referred  (p^) 
el,  to  the  root  (p"^^)  oul,  but  to  speak  more  accur- 
ately (p^)  el.,  would  seem  rather  to  be  a  primitive 
word,  yet  adapted 'in  a  certain  measure  to  an 
etymology  from  (p^^)  oul ;  so  that  to  the  mind  of 
the  Hebrew  it  always  presented  the  idea  of  strength 
and  power.^^ 

From  this  you  will  perceive  that  the  word  ma\- 
refer  as  well  to  strength.,  might.,  power.,  as  to  God. 
In  prose,  when  spoken  of  God  pre-eminently,  it 
never  stands  alone,  but  alwa3^s  either  with  an 
attribute  or  another  name  of  God.  In  the  present 
instance,  were  the  two  word.s  ('^N'O'I^)  darekay-el^ 
separated  from  the  balance  of  the  phrase,  it 
would  be  very  hard  to  decide  whether  it  meant 
the  ways  of  God.,  or,  the  ways  of  power. 

But  as  it  stands  we  have  an  entire  passage  to 
guide  us  in  its  meaning,  and  moreover  a  com- 
plete description  of  the  one  of  whom  it  is  sup- 
posed to  be  said,  "  He  is  the  chief  of  the  ways  of 
God."     Therefore,  it  will   be    easier    to  ascertain 


So  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

the  more  probable  and  proper  meaning  of  the 
two.  Taking  the  statement  as  it  stands,  "  He  is 
//le  chief  of  the  ways  of  God,"  it  seems  abrupt, 
isolated,  not  at  all  in  keeping  with  what  follows 
in  the  same  verse.  Then,  if  we  reflect  on  the 
true  import  of  these  words,  it  assumes  such  pro- 
portions that  one  begins  to  doubt  whether  such 
language  can  be  properly  applied  to  any  earthly 
creature. 

If  we  now  examine  carefully  into  the  nature  of 
this  creature  we  find  it  equally  doubtful  whether 
it  should,  or  not,  be  classed  among  animals. 
Neither  do  we  find  it  anywhere  asserted  that  it 
was  a  created  being.  Bven  supposing  that  it  was 
an  extraordinary  animal,  or  even  the  most  aston- 
ishing piece  of  mechanism  capable  of  being  pro- 
duced on  earth,  could  it  be  said  of  either  that 
it  was  the  chiefs  or  the  greatest^  of  the  ways  of 
God  ?  Were  it  an  angel  or  even  a  ^  man,  we 
might  concede  the  propriety  of  such  expressions, 
since  the  latter  could  at  least  be  looked  upon  as 
the  chief  of  the  ways,  or  works  of  God  on  earth ; 
for  we  are  told  that  all  things  on  earth  were 
made  for  man,  and  that  he  was  to  rule  over  all 
the  beasts  of  the  field,  and  the  fishes  of  the  sea, 
and  the  birds  of  the  air.  So  that  behemoth  is 
not,  and  cannot  properly  be  said  to  be,  the  chief 
of  the  ways  of  God,  unless  he  be  greater  than 
man. 

I  doubt  even  whether  man  himself  can  be  said 
to  be,  in  the  full  and  broad  assertion  of  this 
passage,  the  chiefs  or  greatest  of  the  ways  (works) 


IN    THE   BOOK    OF  JOB.  8 1 

of  God.  Such  are  some  of  the  grave  objections 
to  our  present  reading  of  this  passage,  suggested 
by  the  import  of  the  words  themselves  and  by 
the  context. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  many  reasons 
why  this  passage  should  read,  "  He  is  the  chief  of 
the  wa3S  of  power  T  In  reading  this  description 
we  notice  that  its  whole  tendency  is  -  to  show 
that  behemoth  is  the  most  powerful,  heartless  and 
invulnerable  of  all  creatures ;  that  he  is  made 
without  fear,  and  that  on  earth  there  is  not  his  like. 
Iron  is  to  him  as  straw,  and  brass  as  rotten 
wood.  It  would,  therefore,  be  most  natural  to 
say  of  such  a  monster,  that  he  was  the  chief  of 
the  ways  of  power,  but  not  "  chief  of  the  ways  of 
God."  Then,  on  the  other  hand,  this  powerful 
creature  does  not  appear,  up  to  the  present  day. 
to  have  been  discovered  among  any  of  the  animals 
which  God  created,  neither  is  it  stated  that  he 
was  created.  This  lessens  still  more  his  claim  to 
being  the  chief  of  the  ways  of  God.  Moreover, 
there  has  appeared,  within  our  days,  a  monster  of 
power,  with  iron  flanks  and  bones  of  solid  metal ; 
on  earth  there  is  not  his  like,  neither  has  the  deep 
ever  been  lashed  by  such  a  fearless  monster. 

He  bids  fair  to  outrival  all  competitors  and  to 
prove  himself  to  be  the  long-sought-for  behemoth. 
Yet  he  is  not  a  created  being,  endowed  with  intel- 
ligence, perfect  in  all  his  parts.  He  is  but  a 
manufactured  monster,  an  engine  of  power. 
Even  of  him  it  cannot  be  said,  "  He  is  the  chief 
of  the  ways  of  God."     But  we  must  acknowledge 


82  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

that  nothing  could  be  more  appropriate  than  to 
call  him  the  "  chief  of  the  ways  or  methods  of 
power."  In  fact  we  will  see  that,  under  the  head 
of  leviathan,  lie  is  called  "The  King  over  all 
conceptions  of  power." 

Therefore  I  feel  convinced  that,  in  this  instance, 
the  word  (7i^)  e/,  is  intended  ,  to  denote  power ^ 
physical  strength. 

In  this  passage  I  take  the  word  (n^JJ^'N"))  7'eshith, 
as  meaning  chiefs  greatest^  most  excellent^  a  inaster- 
piece.  It  has  also  the  meaning  of  first  in  point 
of  time.  The  Vulgate  renders  by  "  Ipse  est 
principium  viarum  Dei."  The  Septuagint ;  "  Toz/re^rrw 
■apxri  irTMctiaTog  KvpLov^  Lit  I  "  Tliis  ouc  is  a  mastcr- 
piece  of  workmanship  of  the  Lord."  I  take  the 
word  (apxi  )  to  mean  here,  the  first ^  in  point  of  ex- 
cellency, i.  e.,  a  masterpiece.  So  does  the  French 
version,  "  C'est  le  chef-d'oeuvre  du  Dieu  Fort." 
As  to  the  meaning  of  the  expression,  '*  ways  of 
God,"  or  "  ways  of  power,"  we  will  find  that  the 
word  way  or  ways  is  of  very  comprehensive  sig- 
nification, meaning,  a  passage  or  road ;  direction 
of  motion ;  manner  or  method  of  doing,  etc.,  etck 
The  latter  meaning  would  be  the  most  intelligible 
in  connection  with  the  word  power ;  thus,  "He  is 
a  masterpiece  of  the  methods  of  power."  i.  e.,  of 
the  methods  of  obtaining  power.  "  In  Scripture," 
«sa3^s  Webster,  "the  ways  'of  God  'are  his  provi- 
dential government  or  his  works." 

Prof.  Lee,  in  his  exposition  of  the  meaning  of  this 
passage,  says,  that  in  the  sense  of  He  is  the  head  or 
fij'st  of  the  ways  of  God,  it  can  fairly   be  applied 


IN    THE    LOOK    OP  JOP>.  83 

neitlier  to  the  hippopotamus,  norto  any  other  animal 
or  class  of  animals.  "  Bochart  intimates,"  says 
he  "  that,  as  others  were  created  on  the  sixtli  day, 
bnt  the  hippopotamus,  being  an  aquatic  animal, 
was  produced  on  the  fifth;  it  may  hence  be 
termed  first.  But  this  does  not  necessarily 
follow;  for,  first,  if  the  "ways  of  God"  are  to  be 
referred  to  creation  generally,  surely  th-e  first  of 
these  must  have  been  the  creation  of  the  heavens 
and  the  earth,  not  of  a  certain  aquatic  animal. 
And,  secondly,  although  the  hippopotamus  is  an 
aquatic  animal  occasionally — being  amphibious — 
it  cannot  hence  be  presumed  that  he  must  have 
been  created  on  the  fifth  day;  or,  which  is  the 
same  thing,  that  he'  was  produced  by  the  waters, 
rather  than  by  the  earth. 

"The  other  instance  adduced,  viz  :  Numb.  xxiv. 
20,  is  equally  inconclusive;  for  Amalek  could 
neither  be  the  first  of  nations,  in  point  of  date, 
nor  yet  one  of  the  most  noble  of  nations.  For 
first,  Amalek  was  the  son  of  Eliphaz  (Gen. 
xxxvi.  12).  That  nation  could  have  been  formed, 
therefore,  only  during  the  sojourning  of  the 
Israelites  in  Eg3''pt,  and  under  circumstances  by 
no  means  favorable  to  the  rapid  increase  of  any 
people.  They  must,  therefore,  have  been  greatly 
inferior  to  Egypt,  Babylon,  and  many  other  nations 
then  in  existence ;  and,  for  the  same  reason, 
they  could  with  no  propriety  be  termed  the  first 
in  point  of  date.  I  conclude,  therefore,  that 
(iTp'N"!)  rcshith^  must  here,  i.  e..  Numb.  xxiv.  20, 
be  used  in    a    sense    totally    different   from    that 


84  A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

assumed  by  Bochart.  Balaam,  I  think,  must 
have  meant,  that  as  Amalek  was  the  first  of  the 
nations  who  opposed  the  Israelites  in  their  journey 
ing  through  the  desert^  their  doom  was,  therefore^ 
that  they  should  perish  forever," 

This  is  sufficient  to  show  that,  in  this  instance^ 
the  expression,  '"''he  is  the  first,''''  cannot  be  in- 
terpreted as  referring  to  the  time  when  the  behe- 
moth was  created.  Moreover,  as  I  have  shown, 
it  is  not  satisfactorily  established  that  he  was 
ever  created,  or  that  such  an  animal  was  ever 
known  on  earth. 

Therefore,  from  the  evident  reference  of  this 
description  and  from  the  context,  I  conclude  that 
our  present  rendering  has  no  good  authority  to 
rest  on,  whilst  there  are  abundant  reasons  and 
proof  that  it  should  read,  *'  He  (or  it)  is  chief  of 
the  ways   (methods)  of  power." 

Hoping  to  have  settled  the  meaning  of  the 
word  (7^)  el,  as  meaning  here,  power,  strength^ 
now  the  expression,  ways  of  power,  will  be  readily 
understood  to  refer  to  the  methods,  or,  ways  of 
obtaining  power. 

As  you  have  just  noticed.  Prof.  Lee  decides 
that,  this  passage  can  fairly  be  applied  neither 
to  the  hippDpDtamus  nor  to  any  other  animal  in 
the  sense  of  "  he  is  the  head  or  first  of  the  ways 
.of  God." 

Moreover,  if  this  passage  was  intended  to  refer 
to  the  great  power  of  an  animal,  as  some  suppose, 
why  was  it  not  said  that  he  was  the  most  power- 
ful of  all  animals,  which  would  have  been  easily; 


IN   THE    BOOK   OF  JOB.  85 

understood,  and  have  helped  to  prove  that  the 
behemoth  was  an  animal. 

As  to  the  possibility  of  the  hippopotamus  being 
referred  to  here,  I  would  say,  that  he  cannot  be 
shown  to  be  the  chief  of  the  ways  of  power,  not 
even  the  chief  of  the  animals  of  power.  For  it 
is  evident  that  animals  have  existed  which  were 
far  superior,  in  size  and  power,  to  any-  now  in 
existence. 

But  let  us  see  if  any  objections  can  be  found 
to  the  application  of  this  passage  to  our  own  nion- 
ster  of  power. 

Jt  is  said,  as  I  have  just  shown,  that  the  behe- 
moth is  chief  of  the  methods  of  power.  This  cm, 
very  naturally,  be  interpreted  to  mean  that  he 
is  the  greatest  of  all  contrivances  of  pozver.  T!:.2 
steam  engine,  as  we  all  know,  derives  its  power 
from  the  expansive  force  of  steam  generated 
from  water,  by  the  application  of  heat. 

This  force  is  capable  of  being  accumulated 
until  it  reaches  an  enormous  degree  of  pressure; 
in  fact,  it  is  limited  only  by  the  capacity  of  iron 
or  steel  to  withhold.  Boilers  and  engines  of 
several  hundred  horse-power  are  very  common. 

Up  to  the  present  day  no  other  force  has  been 
discovered  which  for  power,  economy  and  safety 
can  compare  with  steam.  It  does  outrival  all 
competitors  on  sea  and  on  land,  and  bids  fair 
to  remain  the  power  of  the  nations. 

An  ordinary  steam  engine  and  toiler  can  accom- 
plish more  work,  or  generate  more  potential 
energy  in  one  day  than  a  thousand  hippopotami. 


86  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

All  the  animals  of  the  forests  could  not  equals 
this  day,  the  combined  power  of  steam.  In  the 
\va3'  of  strength  there  is  no  creature  on  earth 
capable  of  competing  with  it. 

Such  being  the  facts  concerning  the  power  and 
strength  of  our  steam  motor,  can  any  valid  objec- 
tions be  raised  to  its  being  called,  "  the  chief  of 
the  methods  cf  power,"  or,  "  the  greatest  of  all 
the  contrivancec  of  power." 

Certainly,  no  one  will  ^deny  that,  up  to  the 
present,  nothing  has  been  known  ,  to  equal  it. 
Even  should  some  other  motor  be  found  to 
supersede  it  in  some  respects,  are  we  sure  that  it 
could  fulfill  all  the  requirements  of  this  descrip- 
tion. As  matters  stand,  our  great  steam  motor 
can  also  be  said  to  be  "  chief  of  the  ways  of 
God  " — viz  :  chief  among  His  providential  ways- 
for  the  benefit  and  pleasure  of  man. 

As  to  the  second  part  of  the  verse,  it  is  still 
more  difficult  to  understand  than  that  which  we 
have  just  seen;  and  commentators  do  not  throw 
much  light  on  its  meaning.  In  the  English  ver- 
sion it  reads :  "  He  that  made  him  can  make  his 
sword  to  approach  unto  him."  Here  again  occurs^ 
as  you  will  notice,  the  expression  to  make^  i.  e.y 
he  that  inade  him,  but  not  he  that  created  him. 
In  the  original  it  is  the  same  word  to  which  I 
called  your  attention  in  the  explanation  of  the 
first  verse  of  this  description.  But  who  can  form 
an  opinion  of  wlia^  is  meant  by  saying :  "  He 
that  made  him  can  make  his  sword  to  approach 
unto  him." 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  87 

A  more  literal  rendering  would  be :  "  The  one 
making  him  will  apply   (approach)  his  sword.". 

It  is  the  Lord  Himself  who  is  here  speaking ; 
yet  it  would  seem  as  though  He  were  referring 
to  some  one  else  as  the  maker  of  this  behemoth, 
and  as  the  one  who  would  apply  this  sword  to 
him. 

Such  ambiguity  would  certainly  be  objectionable 
and  highly  improbable  as  the  original  utterances 
of  the  Creator  Himself,  unless  He  referred,  in- 
deed, to  some  piece  of  mechanism  and  to  the 
maker  thereof,  who  would  furnish  it,  or  cause  to 
approach  unto  it,  some  sort  of  destructive  power, 
here  called,  figuratively,  a  sword,  the  emblem  of 
death  and  destruction.  And  here,  I  believe,  we 
will  find  the  solution  to  this  problem. 

It  cannot  be  denied,  that  the  Lord  Himself 
says  here  that,  the.  one  that  maketh  this  monster 
will  apply  his  sword,  or  will  furnish  him  with 
his  sword.  Neither  will  it  be  denied  that,  unless 
He  spoke  here  of  a  third  person,  and  not  of 
Himself,  such  an  abrupt  change  from  the  first 
to  the  third  person,  would  be  'entirely  uncalled 
for,  ambiguous,  and  likely  to  lead  to  a  misunder- 
standing. 

We  would  certainly  expect  the  Lord  to  have 
expressed  Himself  quite  differently  had  He  in- 
tended to  refer  to  the  question  of  His  creating  and 
destroying  this  monster. 

We  might  suppose,  for  instance,  that  He  would 
have  said:  "I,  who  have  created  him,  have  made 
his  sword    to    approach  unto  him."     But,   singu- 


88  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

larly  enough,  the  original  is  again  in  my  favor, 
as  it  clearly  intimates  here,  that  this  monster  of 
power  is  to  be  furnished,  in  the  future,  with  some 
terrible  destructive  power;  and  that  this  will  be 
applied  by  the  one  that  makes  him ;  not  by  the 
one  who  had  made^  or  who  had  created  him. 

Up  to  the  present  it  has  been  generally  con- 
sidered  that  this  sword  referred  to  some  destruc- 
tive means  by  which  the  Lord  would  destroy  this 
monster,  notwithstanding  his  invulnerability. 
Such  are  the  views  of  Adam  Clarke  ;  he  says : 
"  No  power  of  jnait  or  beast  can  overcome  him. 
God  alone  can  overcome  him,  and  God  alone 
could  make  his  sword  (of  extinction)  approach  to 
him."  • 

Although  this  is  undoubtedly  the  true  sense 
in  which  the  word  sword  has  been  used  here, 
viz.,  distress  and  destruction,  yet  it  does  not 
appear  to  me  that  this  power  of  destruction  came 
directly  from  God ;  but  rather  that  it  was  one 
that  pertained  to  the  nature  of  this  monster,  his 
own  great  destructive  power;  and,  that  the  one 
who  would  make  him  would  cause  this  great 
power  to  become  the  cause  of  his  destruction. 

Among  those  who  look  upon  the  word  sword 
as  referring  to  some  attribute  of  the  behemoth 
is  Bochart,  who  renders  this  passage  thus:  "He 
that  niade  him  furnished  him  with  a  sword." 

Prof  Lee,  indorsing  the  same  views,  has : 
"  His  maker  hath  given  him  his  weapon."  Urn- 
breit  has :  "  His  creator  hath  bestowed  on  him 
his  sword."      These,  and    many  others,  such    as 


IN   THE    DOOK   OF  JOB.  89 

Scluiltens  and  Rosenmiiller,  entertain  tlie  same 
views.  Therefore,  it  seems  quite  probable  that 
the  expression  his  sivord  refers  to  some  great  and 
destructive  power  belonging  to  the  behemoth. 
Taking  this  for  granted,  it  Avould  appear,  then, 
that  the  one  maJzing  this  monster  will,  in  some 
way  or  other,  apply  to  him  his  dangerous  and  de- 
structive power,  or  something  that  w-ill  -be  apt  to 
destroy  him.  Let  us  now  see  if  the  nature  of 
this  destructive  power  cannot  be  ascertained  from 
what  is  said  of  the  peculiarities  of  this  monster 
in  other  parts  of  this  description. 

We  have  seen,  in  the  sixteenth  verse  of  this 
•chapter,  that  there  was  confined  some  very  mys- 
terious power  within  the  encircling  parts  of  the 
belly  of  this  monster.  We  have  noticed  some 
similar  force  referred  to  (chap.  xl.  16,)  as  confined 
airy  or  vapor^  not  allowed  to  escape  through  the 
laps  of  his  shields ;  the  latter  being  sealed 
tightly  for  the  very  purpose  of  preventing  this 
mysterious  force  from  escaping.  Job  is  un- 
doubtedly reminded  of  the  terrible  danger  of  this 
same  internal  and  mysterious  power,  when  he  is 
told  (chap.  xli.  8)  :  "  Place  thy  hand  upon  him ; 
be  mindful  of  the  battling  forces  within^  .and  thou 
wilt  venture  no  further." 

Evidently  the  very  nature  of  this  mysterious 
and  destructive  force  is  revealed  to  us  in  chap. 
xli.  20,  where  we  read :  *'  Out  of  his  nostrils 
will  issue  forth  smolce  as  out  of  a  boiling  pot  or 
caldron."  And  what  is  the  smoke  that  issues 
from  a  boiling  pot,  if  not  Steam  ?      We  are  all 


5p  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

acquainted  with  its  terribly  destructive  power,  and 
when  we  look  upon  this  behemoth  of  Job  as  being 
our  own  monster  of  power,  we  can  fully  realize, 
without  any  further  explanation,  how  well  it  can 
be  called  Jiis  smord  of  destruction. 

We  have  further,  in  this  same  description 
(chap.  xli.  26),  strong  and  convincing  evidence 
that  this  sword  does  refer  to  the  destructive 
power  of  steam ;  and  even  how  it  becomes  to  be 
the  destruction  of  this  monster.  It  reads:  "From 
dryness  (lack  of  water)  rendering  him  furious, 
he  will  not  have  power  to  withhold."  Here^ 
then,  is  the  whole  secret  revealed. 

This  monster's  destruction  will  be  caused  by 
a  lack  of  water  rendering  him  so  furious,  that 
he  cannot  withhold,  or  endure,  any  longer. 

The  word  (^"^H),  which  occurs  in  the  above 
verse,  and  which  I  render  dryness^  may  mean 
either  a  sword  or  dryness^  as  I  will  show  here- 
after ;  yet  strange,  in  both  cases  they  evidently 
refer  to  the  same  power  of  destruction. 

Nothing  can  reveal  to  us  so  well  the  full  force 
and  reference  of  this  passage  as  its  application 
to  the  well-known  peculiarities  of  our  own  mon- 
ster of  power.  The  statement  that  dryness^  or  a 
lack  of  water,  renders  him  furious^  is  evidence 
that  water  is  essential  to  the  leviathan.  And  so 
we  find  it  to  be  with  our  iron  monster.  Water  is. 
his  power — his  very  life.  Without  it  he  is  left  in 
the  greatest  of  distress,  entirely  helpless ;  he 
cannot  even  move  a  limb  or  utter  the  faintest 
sound.     Of  all  creatures  he  is  weakened  and  di:i- 


IN   THE   BOOK   OF  JOB.  9I 

tressed  the  most  for  want  of  water.  As  soon  as 
he  begins  to  get  dry  he  loses  all  power  over  him- 
self, and  in  a  moment  all  the  movable  parts  of  his 
body  become  rigid.  But,  whilst  actively  at  work, 
should  his  supply  of  water  fail  too  suddenly,  his 
rage  will  become  so  great  that,  all  of  a  sudden, 
he  will  lose  all  control  over  himself,  and,  bursting 
his  body  asunder,  he  will  scatter  it  in  all  directions. 

It  is  well  known  to  any  one  familiar  with  the 
management  of  a  steam  boiler  that,  if  the  water 
in  the  boiler  is  allowed  to  run  too  low,  it  is  liable 
to  be  vaporized  too  suddenly,  and  the  outlets  not 
being  sufficiently  large  to  allow  it  to  escape,  the 
enormous  pressure,  thus  suddenly  generated,  tears 
it  to  pieces.  Indeed,  in  this  sense,  one  can  realize 
the  full  meaning  and  reference  of  the  words  of 
the  Lord  when  he  said :  "  He  that  maketh  him 
will  apply  unto  him  his  power  of  destruction,"' 
viz.,  fire  and  water. 

Man,  who  is  the  maker  of  this  terrible  engine 
of  power,  has  endowed  it  with  such  active  and 
dangerous  forces  that  they  often  become  the  very 
source  of  its  destruction.  In  this  light  we  can 
also  understand  the  reason  why  the  Lord  makes 
here,  that  heretofore  singular  and  unaccountable 
allusion  to  another,  besides  himself,  as  the  maker 
of  the  behemoth.  Undoubtedly  the  expression  to 
make  is  intended  here  in  a  more  limited  sense 
than  it  is  in  the  first  verse  of  this  description. 

Here  then,  once  more,  our  modern  monster 
helps  to  elucidate  the  meaning  of  an  obscure 
and  almost  incomprehensible  passage. 


92  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

Bochart,  \vlio  supposes  that  the  teeth  of  the 
hippopotamus  are  referred  to  by  the  word  sivord^ 
has  the  following  rendering  of  this  passage  :  "  He 
that  made  him  furnished  him  with  a  sword." 
This  translation  conveys  quite  different  ideas 
from  what  can  be  strictly  inferred  from  the  origi- 
nal Hebrew.  It  is  not  "he  that  made  him,"  but 
"  the  one  making  him,"  which  does  not  show  an 
action  passed  and  accomplished  at  the  time  these 
words  were  spoken.  Then  the  verb  to  fiini^h 
has  here  the  full  force  of  the  future.  Then 
again  the  original  does  not  read  a  sword^  but  Jus 
sword. 

The  original,  therefore,  cannot  be  quoted  as  a 
proof  that  the  behemoth  'vas  then  in  existence, 
or  had  existed  before.  From  this  comparison 
with  the  original,  Bochart's  rendering  is  found 
to  be  too  liberal.  If  made  to  be  literal  it  would 
not  agree  with  his  views,  that  the  teeth  of  the 
hippopotamus  are  here  meant  by  the  word  sivord. 
It  does  not  seem  llkeiy  that  this  word,  which 
occurs  here  in  the  singular  number,  would  be 
used,  figL!.rai:iv';ily,  for  a  great  number  of  teeth. 
Then  again  the  teeth  of  the  hippopotamus  are 
far  from  resembling  swords.  At  least  they  do 
not  any  more  than  the  teeth  of  any  other  such 
mo'nsters.  Therefore  there  would  be  no  special  or 
extraordinary  reason  for  likening  them 'to  a  sword, 
or  speaking  of  them  as  something  wonderful. 

That  a  comparison^  may  be  proper  and  natu- 
ral, there  should  exist  some  striking  analogy 
between  the  things  compared.     It  does  not  seem 


IN   THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  93 

proper  to  liken  horns  to  a  sword  because  they 
are  slightly  curved  or  tapering;  were  they  ex- 
ceedingly sharp  and  their  ends  very  penetrating, 
there  would  be  some  propriety  for  the  compari- 
son. I  might  understand  how  the  word  sword 
might  be  used,  figuratively,  for  the  horn  of  a 
unicorn,  or  for  the  weapon  of  a  sword-fish,  but 
not  for  the  four  unsightly  teeth  of  a  hippopota- 
mus. At  least  I  cannot  accept  it  as  such  in  this 
instance ;  if  the  word  was  in  the  plural  the 
learned  quotations  of  Bochart  might  have  more 
force. 

That  the  teeth  of  the  hippopotamus  should 
be  likened  by  historians  to  a  hook,  or  to  some 
curved  instrument  for  reaping  or  tearing  to 
pieces — for  such  is  the  primary  meaning  of 
(«/'-'/)  arpe^  which  he  quotes — ma}^  be  very 
natural  and  proper,  but  it  is  no  conclusive  evi- 
donce  that  the  Hebrew  word  is  to  be  taken  here 
as  referring  to  the  teeth  of  that  animal.  More- 
over, as  I  have  shown,  Bochart  cannot,  with  any 
pretension  to  accurac}',  place  such  a  construction 
as  he  has  upon  the  original  Hebrew.  Even  then 
if  we  simply  add  to  his  own  rendering  the  words 
his  tcetli^  instead  of  his  sivord — as  he  claims  this 
to  be  the  meaning  of  the  latter — we  will  at  once 
notice  the  weakness  of  his  version.  It  would 
then  read :  "  He  that  made  him  furnished  him 
with  his  teeth."  And  what  an  improbable  and  un- 
called-for explanation,  specially  when  we  consider 
that  the  Lord  Himself  is  speaking.  For  this 
would  make  it  appear  as  though  the  Lord  wished 


94  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

Job  to  distinctly  understand  that  He  had  endowed 
this  monster  with  teeth,  or  that,  indeed,  another 
had  done  so. 

Even  if,  in  this  instance,  we  give  Bochart  the 
benefit  (?)  of  the  literal  translation,  his  views  will 
not  appear  as  favorably.  For  then  the  passage 
would  read:  "The  one  making  him  will  apply 
(or  approach)  his  teeth."  This  would  be  not 
only  improbable  as  coming  from  the  Lord  Him- 
self, but  out  of  place  in  such  a  sublime  descrip- 
tion as  this.  Neither  can  we  understand  how  it 
could  be  said  of  the  hippopotamus  that,  the  one 
making  him,  will  apply  unto  him  the  power  of  his 
own  destruction.  Yet  such  is  the  case  with  the 
steam  engine. 

The  word  sivord,  taken  in  the  sense  of  a  power 
of  destruction,  applies  in  a  very  striking  manner 
to  the  terribly  destructive  powers  of  steam.  That 
we  may  duly  appreciate  this,  we  have  but  to  read 
the  daily  accounts  of  the  terrible  accidents  which 
happen  from  the  explosion  of  the  pent-up  forces 
of  steam.  We  will  then  fully  realize  that  these 
almost  unlimited  forces  must  be  classed  among 
our  greatest  powers  of  destruction.  Yea,  the 
makers  of  the  behemoth  and  leviathan  furnish 
them  with  their  own  most  terrible  powers  of 
destruction.  And  these  ambitious  and  fearless 
monsters,  too  anxious  to  outdo  their  competitors, 
often  inflate  themselves  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  burst  their  iroits  bands  asunder  and  carry 
devastation  on  all  sides.  What  a  monster !  And 
what  a  terrible  sword  he  carries  at  his  side  I 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  95 

Thus  we  may  easily  recognize  how  fully  he 
answers  this  description,  and  fulfills,  not  only  tjie 
requirements  of  the  original  text,  but  the  very 
poetical  sentiments  which  pervade  this  whole 
description.  In  him  only  can  we  recognize  the 
beauty  of  the  original,  when  it  says :  "  Ke  is  a 
masterpiece  of  the  methods  of  power ;  he  that 
maketh  him  will  apply  unto  him  his_  sword  of 
destruction,^^ 


96 


A  WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 


THEY  WILI.  BRING  TO  HTM  THE  \VEAI,TII  OP 
THE  MOUNTAINS. 


■V-  _  T  : 


Verse  20. 

For,  the  wealth,  produce 

of  the  mountains 

they  w:!!  bring  forth  to  him 

and  all  the  beasts,  animals 

of  the  fields 

will  wear  away,  skip  away 

at  that  time,  there. 


Ilerbas 

monies 

ferunt  huic ; 

omncs  bestiac 

agri 

ludcut 

ibi. 


"  Surely  the  mowntains  bring  him  forth  food,  where  all  the 
beasts  of  the  field  play." 

-  You  will  notice  in  the  above  renderings  of  the 
Vulgate  and  English  versions  that  there  is,  evi- 
dently, a  want  of  relation  between  the  ideas  ex- 
pressed in  the  two  members  of  the  verse.  For, 
what  could  be  meant  by  saying  that,  "  where  all 
the  beasts  of  the  field  play,  surely  the  moun- 
tains "bring  him  forth  food."  Such  is  iudeed 
their  meaning.  This  inverting  of  the  order  of 
the  two  passages  renders  their  discordance  more 
pfominent.  It  would  seem  that  if  the  idea  were 
that  this  monster  grased  on  the  mountains  among 
other  wild  beasts,  that  this  fact  would  have  been 
expressed  quite  differently.     What  could  the  play- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  97 

ing  oi  field  animals  have  to  do  with  the  produc- 
tion of  his  food  by  the  mountains.  Then  again 
it  is  remarkable  that  it  is  not  said  that  the  be- 
hemoth goes  on  these  mountains  in  search  of  his 
food,  but  that  these  bring  food  to  him. 

Neither  is  it  said  that  these  mountains  are  the 
grazing  fields  of  these  beasts,  but,  very  strangely, 
that  it  is  there  they  all  play;  which  not  only  seems 
improbable  but  entirely  foreign  to  the  subiect 
matter. 

There  would  seem  to  be  something  strange 
also  about  this  monster's  food,  as  it  is  said  to  be 
a  special  product  of  the  mountains ;  for  it  may 
be  supposed  that,  were  it  grass,  there  would  have 
been  no  necessity .  for  mentioning  any  special 
locality ;  in  fact  more  grass  and  shrubbery  grow 
in  the  plains  and  valleys  than  on  the  mountains. 
Then,  why  this  second  allusion  to  this  creature's 
food  when,  in  the  first  verse  of  this  description, 
we  were  told  that  he  consumed  fodder  as  well  as 
cattle  do  ? 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  difficulties  met  with  in 
this  verse,  when  we  endeavor  to  fathom  its  mean- 
ing from  our  present  translations. 

Undoubtedly  a  different  interpretation  of  the 
original  is  necessary  in  order  to  throw  the  re- 
quired light  on  this  passage. 

The  word  ('^''2)  bhoul.,  rendered  food^  is  not 
generally  made  use  of  in  that  sense,  but  rather 
in  that  of  produce^  increase ;  from  the  root  ('?5J) 
yabJial,  meaning  to  flow,  to  overflow. 

But  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  proper  mean- 


g8  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

ing  of  the  word  here  will  be  found  in  Job, 
chapter  xx.  28 ;  where  it  is  said  :  "  The  increase 
[7^y),  of  his  house  departs;"  meaning  //le  wealth 
laid  up  in  his  house. 

Prof.  Lee. takes  almost  the  same  view  of  the 
word,  and  says  in  reference  to  it:  "The  truth 
seems  to  be,  that  abundance^  excess^  or  the  like, 
is  the  idea  prevailing  in  this  word." 

The  Vulgate  renders  herba^  but  nowhere  else 
do  I  find  it  interpreted  in    that    restricted  sense. 

The  word  (^^^^)  nasa^  rendered  to  brings  means 
primarily  to  take  up,  to  lift  up;  then  to  bring. 
As  it  is  in  the  third  person  plural,  future,  we 
should  render  they  will  take  up,  or  bring  (I*?)  to 
hi7n.  In  this  sense,  which  is  undoubtedly  the 
proper  one,  the  word  mountains  cannot  be  the 
subject  of  this  verb,  as  all  versions  make  it  ap- 
pear. For  the  original  word  does  not  mean  to 
bring  forth,  in  the  sense  of  to  produce,  but  to 
take  up  to,  to  bring  to  any  one,  etc. 

From  this  meaning  of  the  words  it  becomes  evi- 
dent that  the  word  mountains,  is  in  the  genitive, 
which  gives  us,  "They  will  bring  to  him  the 
wealth,  or,  produce,  of  the  mountains." 

Although,  as  you  will  notice,  it  is  not  directly 
stated  in  what  this  wealth,  or  abundance  of  the 
mountains  consisted,  yet  the  fact  cannot  be  denied 
that,  whatever  it  was,  it  had-  to  be  taken  up,  or 
brought  forth  to  him.  And,  as  the  verb  here  does 
not  indicate  the  actioH  Qi  producing,  but  that  of 
carrying  or  bringing  from  one  place  to  another, 
it  must  be  inferred  that  this  action  of   bringing 


IN    THK    150UK    C)J'    JUH.  99 

forth  these  products  to  this  monster,  must  have  been 
performed  by  men. 

Another  important  inference  which  can  be  drawn 
from  the  above  meaning  of  the  words  is,  that  the 
original  does  not  refer,  exclusively,  to  the  pro- 
ducts which  grow  on  the  surface  of  the  moun- 
tains, but  may  also  refer  to  such  as  have  to  be 
excavated  from  them,  and  here  called  the  wealth 
of  the  mountains. 

If  we  reflect  but  a  moment,  we  cannot  help  re- 
cognizing here  a  direct  reference,  not  only  to  the 
products  of  the  fields,  but  also  to  the  vast  wealth 
which  has  been  for  centuries,  and  is  yet  this  day, 
excavated  from  the  mountains  and  mountainous 
countries,  in  the  shape  of  iron,  coal,  granite,  gold, 
silver  and  the  like,  which  may,  indeed,  be  very 
appropriately  called  the  wealth  of  the  mountains. 
Now  if  we  apply  to  these  products  the  meaning 
of  the  root  of  the  word  by  which  they  are  here 
designated,  viz.,  to  flow ;  we  find  it  to  apply  to 
them  in  a  no  less  wonderful  manner,  since  geo- 
logists inform  us  that  there  is  abundant  proof  that 
at  one  time  during  the  earth's  formation,  all  these 
were  in  a  molten  condition,  many  of  them  vir- 
tually flowing  from  the  craters  and  fissures  of  the 
mountains. 

From  this  it  would  appear  that  the  behemoth 
was  a  domestic  animal,  or  some  powerful  machine 
to  which  the  people  carried  these  materials  and 
products  of  the  mountains,  either  for  exportation, 
or  for  this  monster's  own  use. 

A  proof  that  the  original  was  not    understood, 


lOO  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

and  that  there  was  great  difficulty  in  applying  it  to 
such  an  animal  as  this  description  was  supposed 
to  refer,  may  be  readily  seen  from  the  various 
comments  and  renderings  we  have  of  this  passage. 

An  old  French  version  renders  it  thus  :  "  Bt 
les  montagnes  lui  rapportent  leur  revenu."  The 
writer,  as  you  notice,  does  not  seem  to  have  under- 
stood the  original  word  {^^^)  bhoul^  to  mean  only 
herbes  or  g?'ass^  but  any  product  or  revenue  of  the 
mountains. 

Prof.  Lee  goes  to  great  length  to  show  that  the 
above  word  has  been  misunderstood ;  he  says : 
"  Nothing  can  be  more  blind  than  the  account 
given   of  this    second   word   in    the   dictionaries. 

*  Proventus  terrae,'  says  Gesenius,  *  a  rad.  ^^ 
ut  HNIDn,  proventus,  a  J<13.'  But  here  neither  the 
forms  nor  the  sense  are  analogous.  Winer  gives 
'  Proventus  ex  Chald.  (Talm.)  linguae  usu ; ' 
and  ends  with  *  Alii ;  proventus  arboris,  h.  e.  lig- 
num, quod  magis  placet.'  Under  '^^J,  Gesenius 
gives  ^Jluxiiy  maxime,  copiose  at  cum  quodam 
impetu ;  Arab  .  .  .  copiose  fluxit,  pluit,'  etc.  But 
no  Arabian  author  gives  fluxit  for  the  sense  of 
this  word,  as  far,  at  least,  as  I  can  discover." 

Contrary  to  Prof.  Lee's  views,  I  find  \h2X  fluxit 
would  agree  very  well  here  in  the  sense  of  the 
flowing  wealth  of  the  mountains,  as  I  have  shown. 
,  The  Septuagint,  in  their  rendering'  of  this  pas- 
sage, differ  widely  from  all  others.     They  have  : 

"  Ett'cX^wv  8t  ETv'opor  uKpoTOfMov,  eTTolijae  ;^a/3//0V7V  TtrpaTcoaiv  ev  to  rapTapu," 

which  I  translate :  *'  And  ascending,  (or  going  be- 
yond) the  rugged  mountains,  he  causeth  joy  to  the 


IN    THE    HOOK    OF   JOB.  lOI 

quadrupeds  in  the  wilderness."  This  extraordi- 
nary difference  between  the  Hebrew  and  Septuagint 
can  only  be  explained  on  the  ground  that  the  latter 
found,  in  the  original,  something  hard  to  under- 
stand or  rather  contrary  to  their  views  of  the  re- 
ference of  this  description.  Had  it  been  evident 
that  the  meaning  was,  "Surely  the  mountains 
bring  him  forth  food,"  there  could  have  been  no 
reason  for  them  to  object  to  it.  But  if  they  found, 
as  I  do,  that  it  meant  that  men  would  bring  forth 
the  wealth  of  the  mountains  to  him,  or  for  him, 
it  is  easy  to  understand  that  they  would  prefer 
rendering  by  some  non-committal  phrase ;  as  they 
had  already  viewed  him  as  a  wild  monster,  (%to.) 

That  the  hippopotamus  is  referred  to  here,  is 
out  of  the  question.  It  is  well  known  to  be, 
essentially,  an  aquatic  animal,  and  cannot  wan- 
der far  from  water.  No  historian  has  ever  repre- 
sented this  animal  as  being  in  the  habit  of  climb- 
ing high  mountains,  or  as  going  far  into  the  in- 
terior of  countries  in  quest  of  food.  Neither  is  he 
known  to  graze  among  wild  beasts  of  the  forest, 
for  he  never  herds  together  with  other  animals. 
Adam  Clarke  and  many  others  agree  that  he  is 
seldom  found  far  from  the  rivers  where  he  has 
his  chief  residence. 

Then,  the  people  of  those  countries  do  not  take 
the  trouble  to  bring  to  him  the  products  of  the 
mountains,  as  is  evidently  the  case  with  the  mon- 
ster referred  to  here. 

Prof.  Lee  (page  250)  remarks  :"  Again,  certain 
parts  of  the  description  given  in  this  place  cannot 


I02         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERV 

apply  to  the  hippopotamus ;  e.  g.  v.  20.  77/ 
moitulams  bear  provisions  for  him  ;  for  this  obviou  - 
reasou,  that  it  is  never  found  grazing  on  the  raoun 
tains  at  all.  All  that  is  said  of  the  hippopotamus 
is,  that  it  is  often  seen  grazing  on  the  banks  of 
the  Nile,  or  other  rivers,  but  surely  these  cannot 
be  termed  the  mountains  on  which  all  the  wild 
beast  do  gambol  and  play.  By  this  latter  descrip- 
tion one  would  suppose  were  meant  those  moun- 
tainous districts  which  are  far  removed  from  the 
natural  haunts  of  the  hippopotamus,  but  in  which 
the  wild  horse,  the  onager,  etc.,  are  found.  I  con- 
clude, therefore,  that  the  hippopotamus  is  not  ex- 
clusively spoken  of  in  this  description." 

By  the  above  comparisons  and  quotation  I  have 
not  only  shown  the  weakness  of  such  various  ren- 
derings and  pointed  out  their  wide  departure  from 
the  original  Hebrew  version,  but  I  hope  to  have 
also  established  the  fact,  contended  for  by  many 
learned  writers  on  the  subject,  that  this  verse  can- 
not apply  to  the   hippopotamus. 

There  now  remains  for  me  but  to  show  that 
the  words  of  the  original  text  apply,  with  preci- 
sion, to  our  great  and  modern  creature  of  power, 
the  steam  engine. 

According  to  the  original,  then,  it  would  seem  as 
though  men  would  bring  forth  to  this  monster, 
or  for  him,  the  wealth  or  the  produce  of  the  moun- 
tains. 

Now,  could  this  bb  said  of  any  known  animal 
with  as  much  propriety  as  of  our  modern  steam 
monster?     Behold  the  enormous  quantity  of  iron, 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF    JOH.  IO3 

coal,  marble,  gold,  silver,  etc.,  which  is  being  daily 
brought  forth  to  him  from  the  mountains,  andby 
him  rendered  most  available.  It  can  also  be  said 
with  great  propriety,  that  it  is  for  him — the  steam 
engine — that  much  of  this  precious  wealth  of  the 
mountains  is  excavated,  such  as  the  coal  it  con- 
sumes, and  the  iron  and  copper  which  is  needed 
for  its  own  construction.  In  this  sen.se  also  it 
can  be  said  that,  indeed,  the  mountains  furnish, 
or  bring  forth  its  food,  viz.,  coal,  which  is  really 
the  food  which  our  monster  consumes,  and  which 
is  brought  from  the  mountains  both  for  him  and 
by  him.  I  believe  that  the  hoisting  up  of  coal 
from  the  coal--"its  of  England  was  one  of  the  first 
practical  purposes- to  which  steam  was  applied. 

In  the  sense  of  "  they  will  bring  forth  to  him 
the  produce  of  the  mountains,"  this  passage  suits 
our  powerful  monster,  in  a  pre-eminent  degree. 
Witness  in  all  fertile  countries,  where  our  steam 
railroads  have  penetrated,  how  the  inhabitants 
bring  forth  to  him  their  overflowing  products  of 
all  kinds.  What  an  enormous  quantity  of  wheat 
and  corn ;  what  a  variety  of  vegetables  and  fruits 
are  daily  brought  to  him  to  be  carried  to  the  great 
markets  of  the  world.  Indeed,  he  is  the  common 
carrier  of  the  nations. 

From  these  facts  we  cannot  help  concluding  that 
nothing  has  yet  been  discovered  which  so  fully 
and  minutely  fills  every  requisite,  and  elucidates 
every  dark  passage  of  this  wonderful  description, 
as  our  modern  steam  motor. 

Let  us  now  pass  over  to  the  investigation  of  th' 


I04  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

second  hemisticli  of  this  verse,  which,  I  presume, 
will  also  reveal  some  wonderful  truth  in  connection 
with  our  fiery  monster. 

Most  of  our  English  versions  read :  "  Where  all 
the  beasts  of  the  field  play,"  which  is  also  the 
rendering  of  the  Vulgate,  as  can  be  seen  at  the 
head  of  this  verse.  I  cannot  hejp  expressing  my 
surprise  at  the  strange  turn  which  translators  and 
expositors  have  given  to  this  part  of  the  verse ;  for 
its  construction,  in  the  original,  is  simple,  and  the 
meaning  of  each  word  is  easily  understood.  Had 
it  been  translated  verbatim,  it  certainly  would 
have  been  more  applicable  to  a  terrible  wild  beast 
than  the  versions  we  ha\e  before  us. 

To  prove  this,  I  will  translate  each  word  in  its 
natural  rotation,  just  as  it  occurs  in  the  Hebrew ; 
and  give  the  meaning  of  each  word  precisely  as 
found  in  the  lexicons. 

It  reads :  "  And  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  will 
wear  away  (or,  skip  away)  at  that  time  (or,  there)." 

Certainly  the  meaning  is  plain  enough ;  and, 
moreover,  there  is  nothing  in  the  context  which 
demands  any  different  construction  to  be  placed 
upon  these  words.  Those  who  look  upon  the 
behemoth  as  a  powerful  and  terrible  wild  beast 
might,  with  more  propriety,  have  interpreted  this 
to  mean,  that  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  would  wear 
away  there,  or  from  there,  viz.,  from-  the  moun- 
tains, than  to  have  twisted  it  to  mean,  "  where  all 
the  beasts  of  the  field  Y^<^(y-" 

It  is  evident  that  the  difficulty  was  with  the 
word  (pn^)  sachak^  to  play,  to  gmnbol;  which  evi- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOH.  105 

dently  should  have  been  (pH^)  shachak^  to  wear 
away,  or  to  wear  out,  as  a  garment.  The  same 
word  occurs  in  Job  xiv.  19 :  "  Waters  (Ipri^) 
shachakou,  wear  away  the  stones."  In  the  present 
hemistich  it  occurs  in  the  third  person  plural, 
future  tense,  they  will  wear  away.  The  meaning 
of  (D?')  sham,  is,  there,  then,  at  that  time.  I 
take  the  latter  to  be  its  meaning  here^  Thus  it 
will  read :  "  And  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  will 
wear  away  at  that  time,  or,  there." 

This  frees  the  verse  from  the  many  objections 
raised  to  our  numerous  and  various  translations  of 
it.     Moreover,  it  discloses  two  distinct  ideas. 

First,  that  the  wealth  or  produce  of  the  moun- 
tains will  be  brought  forth  unto  him. 

Second,  that  at^the  time  of  his  appearance  the 
wild  beasts  of  the  fields  and  of  the  forests  would 
gradually  wear  away. 

This  rendering  would  also  have  the  merit  of 
agreeing  with  the  nature  and  capacities  of  the 
monster  which  I  contend  is  referred  to  here. 

I  am  confident  that  no  one  will  dispute  this ; 
whilst,  on  the  contrary,  many  of  our  most  learned 
authors  cannot  agree  as  to  its  reference  to  the 
hippopotamus,  or  to  any  other  animal. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  striking  application  of 
this  passage  to  the  results  which  follow  every- 
where the  introduction  of  steam  power  or  the 
locomotive,  is  so  evident  that  it  scarcely  needs  to 
be  pointed  out. 

Many  still  remember  the  great  opposition  that 
was  at  first  made  to  the  introduction  of  locomo- 


I06         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

tives  and  railroads  on  this  very  plea,  viz.,  that  it 
would  frighten  all  the  animals  from  the  fields. 
And  here  we  have  it  plainly  foretold  that  in  the 
days  of  the  so-called  behemoth  the  animals  of  the 
fields  would  wear  away  and  disappear.  The  appli- 
cation of  this  passage  may  also  be  very  appro- 
priately referred  to  domestic  animals.  For  in 
these  days,  when  everything  is  done  by  steam,  all 
animals  of  burden,  such  as  the  horse,  the  mule, 
etc.,  gradually  wear  away  from  the  roads  and 
places  where  steam  power  is  introduced  to  do  the 
work  which  was  once  done  by  them. 

Moreover,  steam,  in  its  great  mission  of  spread- 
ing civilization  and  causing  wild  but  fertile  coun- 
tries to  be  cleared,  cultivated  and  inhabited,  does 
thereby  cause  the  wild  beasts  to  disappear  from 
them.  Even  his  very  presence  is  sufficiently 
terrible  to  cause  the  most  ferocious  and  powerful 
animals  to  flee  in  terror  from  before  him.  The 
mere  utterance  of  his  voice  causes  the  lion  to 
tremble.  None  of  them  dare  stand  before  him  at 
his  approach. 

As  a  prophecy,  this  passage  is  certainly  being 
rapidly  fulfilled  in  our  days,  when,  through  the 
rapid  spreading  of  the  nations  and  their  civilization, 
the  wild  beasts  of  the  forests  and  of  the  moun 
tains  are  rapidly  wearing  away  from  their  haunts. 

How  applicable,  then,  to  our  days,  as  well  as  to 
our  famous  monster,  these  words  of  Job  :  ".Surely 
they  will  bring  forth*^  unto  him  the  wealth  of  the 
mountains ;  and,  at  that  time,  the  beasts  of  the 
field  will  wear  away." 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB. 


107 


HE  IS  PLACED  UNDER  SHELTER  AND  COVERED 
WITH  CLAY. 


■nnn 

Under,  beueath 

Sub. 

^'"im 

light  shelters,  sheds, 

umbra 

^5^"' 

he  will  rest,  lie  down, 

dorniit, 

(ST    : 

within  a  covering  made 

in  secrete  , 

njR 

of  a  fibrous  reed 

calami  et  in 

:  n-pi 

and  clay, — mud. 

locis  humentibus 

"  He  Heth  under  the  shady  trees,  in  the  covert  of  the  reed 
and  fens."  

It  certainly  does  not  seem,  at  first  sight,  as 
though  this  verse,  as  it  reads  in  most  of  our 
translations,  could  ever  be  interpreted  to  suit  any 
of  the  known  peculiarities  of  our  steam  engine 
and  boiler.  For  it  neither  sleeps  nor  lies  down, 
as  made  to  appear  in  the  above  rendering  of  the 
Latin  and  English.  Neither  is  it  to  be  found 
hidden  in  the  midst  of  reeds  and  fens. 

Those  who  looked  upon  the  hippopotamus  as 
the  one  alluded  to  in  this  description,  found  in 
this,  strong  evidence  in  favor  of  their  views ; 
although  the  word  (Dv^^V)  Isaalini,  rendered  shady 
trees^  shades ;  has  caused  some  difference  of  opinion 
to  arise  among  many  learned  authors  as  to  what 
might  be  its  real  meaning.     Some  translate  lotus^ 


Io8  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

or  wild  lotus,  such  as  Gesenius,  Noyes,  Prof.  Lee 
and  Schulteus.  Bochait,  Rosenmiiller  and  others 
render  it  by  shades.  The  Vulgate,  uinbra,  shade. 
The  Septuagint  are  still  different  from  all  these, 
they  read  "  vko  iravroSaKa  devSpa  Koifiarac."  He  slecps  uudcr 
all  kinds  of  trees.  As  this  seems  to  be  the  only 
instance  in  the  Scriptureswhere  this  word  occurs,  it 
becomes  difficult  to  ascertain  its  precise  meaning. 

According  to  Schulteus  and  Gesenius,  it  is 
derived  from  the  obsolete  word  (7^'^}  tsaal,  to  be 
thin.,  slender ;  in  Arabic  it  is  applied,  to  the  wild 
lotus.  Some  consider  it  of  little  importance 
whether  it  be  rendered  the  lotus.,  or  shades,  though 
they  suppose  that  the  probable  derivation  of  the 
word  favors  the  former. 

Contrary  to  the  latter  opinion  I  would  say  that 
the  true  meaning  and  reference  of  the  word 
becomes  now  of  great  importance,  especially  since 
a  modern  and  most  peculiar  creature  in  liis  habits 
is  contending  for  the  honors  so  long  bestowed  on 
the  wild  monsters  of  the  Nile. 

In  reference,  then,  to  the  word  (p^^^)  tsaal,  it  is 
well  to  notice  that  its  true  meaning  is  not  known, 
and  its  reference  to  the  lotus,  or  to  reeds,  or 
shades,  is  doubtful.  It  seems  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  if  the  lotus,  or  common  marshy  reeds, 
had  been  meant,  no  such  doubtful  word  would 
have  been  used. 

Prof.  Lee,  objecting  to  those  who  translate  by 
shade,  or  shadows,  says,  "  Besides,  to  say  in  the 
very  next  verse  that  the  shadows  cover  him  with 
their  shade,  would  be    to   speak  in  a    very  extra- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  IO9 

ordinary  way,  and  certainly  very  unlike  the  style 
of  this  book.  One  would  suppose  that  (7ny^y^)l) 
arebha-nachal^  ivillows  of  tJie  torrent^  would  here^ 
in  one  way  or  the  other,  supply  a  sense  not  un- 
like that  of  the  preceding  parallel ;  certainly 
shadows  will  not  suit  this  place." 

So  this  learned  author  is  also  puzzled  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  things  which  formed  a  covering 
for  this  wonderful  creature. 

Neither  does  Adam  Clarke  appear  to  have  been 
certain  of  the  meaning  of  this  passage,  for  he 
dismisses  the  entire  verse  with  th^se  few  words, 
'*  This  and  the  following  verses  refer  to  certain 
habits  of  the  behemoth  with  which  we  are  and 
must  be  unacquainted." 

Certainly  this  is  not  saying  much  in  favor  of 
the  views  entertained  on  this  passage  by  others 
before  him.  Undoubtedly  this  verse,  as  well  as 
the  following' one,  is  very  difficult  to  understand 
and  still  more  so  to  render  literally. 

Regardless  of  what  creature  may  be  here 
alluded  to,  it  seems  evident  that  the  first  mem- 
ber of  this  verse  refers  to  some  sort  of  a  shelter- 
ing underneath  which  he  dwells,  and  that  the 
things  constituting  this  shelter  were  thin^  slender. 
Then  the  second  member  seems  to  indicate  that, 
moreover,  there  was  anotlier  sort  of  covering, 
inside  of  which  he  was ;  and  that  this  later 
covering  was  of  clay^  or    mud^  and  also   of  reeds. 

This  creature,  then,  would  seem  to  rest  under 
two  different  coverings.  Th  .s  fact,  although  not 
distinctly   alluded   to    by   any    commentator,    can 


no  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

Still  be  easily  detected  in  their  explanations  and 
renderings  of  this  verse.  For  instance  you  will 
notice  it  in  our  English  versions.  They  say, 
first,  that  "he  lieth  under  the  shady  trees;"  then, 
that  he  is  "  in  the  covert  of  the  reed  and  fens." 
It  seems  to  me  doubtful  that  just  such  a  condi- 
tion of  large  shady  trees,  and  reeds  and  fens 
exists,  especially  in  reference  to  the  restiug-place 
of  the  hippopotamus.  I  doubt  that  the  reed  sup- 
posed to  be  here  referred  to,  viz.,  the  cane,  grows 
under  large  shady  trees,  and  that  these  grow  in 
the  fens  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile ;  for  this  verse 
requires  this  peculiar  interpretation,  if  the  hippo- 
potamus, or  some  such  animal,  be  here  alluded  to. 

The  dif&culty  with  this  word  rendered  shady 
trees ^  is,  that  it  seems  to  be  an  adjective  in  the  plu- 
ral meaning  thin^  slender ;  and  that  the  noun  which 
it  should  serve  to  qualify  is  not  expressed.  Accord- 
ing to  the  general  drift  of  this  verse,^  the  word 
would  seem  to  refer  to  something  which  con- 
stituted some  sort  of  a  covering  spread  over  and 
above  this  monster.  Such  a  connection  of  ideas 
would  suggest,  in  our  days,  thin  strips  of  timber^ 
slender  boards,  shingles  and  the  like ;  such  as  are 
generally  adapted  to  the  construction  or  covering 
of  a  place  or  shelter,  as  a  shed^  for  instance. 

Even  the  word  shed  would  seem  to  answer 
very  well  here,  as  it  denotes  a  slight  building — 
according  to  Webster's  definition.  This  would  be 
in  harmony  with  theN:ontext  which  indicates  that 
this  word  refers  to  some  sort  of  a  sheltering  place 
for  this  monster. 


IN    THK    HOOK    OK   JOIi.  Ill 

Geseiiius,  in  his  lexicon,  gives  to  the  root  ('7^^y) 
tsaal  the  meaning  of  to  be  thin,  sleiidcr,  and  as 
being  of  kindred  meaning  with  (\Ti)  tsanan,  to 
be  sharp;  being  the  same  as  (P^)  q-anan,  to  cover 
to  protect.  Hence  (H^V)  tsannah,  a  shield.  Owx  sli^n 
wooden  shingles  would  suit  each  of  the  above 
meanings.  The}'  are  thin  and  sJiarp  at  one  end ; 
they  serve  as  2,  covering  diud.  protection.  Moreover, 
a  roof  of  shingles  has  much  the  appearance  of  a 
large  shield  made  of  small  thin  pieces  united  to- 
gether. 

Instead  of  "  He  lieth  under  the  shady  trees," 
we  should  read,  "He  will  lie  down,  or,  he  will 
rest."  Prof  Lee  renders  "Beneath  the  wild  lotus 
doth  he  couch." 

The  Vulgate  has :  "He  sleepeth  under  the 
shade."  If  this  was  the  meaning  intended,  I  can- 
not see  why  such  a  simple  thing  should  be  noticed 
at  all  ;  for  it  certainly  could  not  be  accounted  as 
an  extraordinary  thing  in  this  creature  to  lie  down 
to  sleep  in  the  shade,  when  animals,  in  general, 
naturally  seek  a  shady  place  to  rest. 

From  the  extraordinary  and  peculiar  things  we 
have  already  seen  mentioned  in  this  description 
concerning  the  habits  of  the  behemoth,  we  would 
also  expect  that  the  resting-place  of  this  singular 
creature  would  be  different  from  all  others.  Un- 
doubtedly it  is  on  this  very  account  that  Job's  at- 
tention is  called  to  it. 

Strange  to  say,  the  rendering  and  application 
which  I  propose,  fulfill  these  expectations,  and 
also  all  the  requirements  of  the  case ;  for,  accord- 


112  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

ing  to  the  above,  this  passage  would  mean,  "He 
will  rest  under  light  shelters,  or,  under  slender 
sheltering  places."  This  would  certainly  be  a 
strange  and  unexpected  sort  of  a  lair  for  a  wild 
creature  of  the  forests,  or  a  monster  of  the  deep ; 
yet,  as  we  will  see,  not  so  improbable  in  reference 
to  the  construction  of  the  sheltering  place  of  our 
own  monster  of  power,  the  stationary  engine  and 
boiler.  It  does  not  consist  of  whole  trees  or 
branches,  but  according  to  the  evident  meaning 
of  the  words  of  our  prophet,  of  thin  or  slender 
pieces,  thin  strips  of  timber,  thin  boards  and 
shingles. 

Under  a  sheltering  formed  of  these  he  actually 
rests.  When  one  views  this  passage  as  referring 
to  a  stationary  engine  and  boiler,  that  is,  one  set 
up  to  remain  in  a  certain  locality,  he  at  once 
understands  why  special  mention  is  here  made  of 
this  resting  place.  As  Job  is  about  to  give  us 
a  description  of  the  various  purposes  to  which 
this  creature  of  power  will  be  applied,  he  begins 
very  ingenously  by  describing  him  as  he  appeared 
under  those  various  circumstances. 

Here,  for  instance  ,  it  is  the  stationary  engine 
and  boiler,  and  he  represents  it  as  resting  under 
a  shelter  of  thin  boards  and  shingles.  This  fact 
will  be  fully  confirmed  by  what  follows  in  the  sec- 
ond member  of  this  verse,  and  it  will  be  found  to 
be  no  less  astonishing  than  what  we  have  just 
been  told.  ^ 

According  to  our  English  translations  the  bal- 
ance of  this  verse  reads  :  **  In  the    covert    of   the 


IN    THK  BOOK    OF  JOB.  II3 

reed  and  fens,"  The  first  objection  I  have  to  this 
translation  is  the  use  of  the  definite  article  the^ 
before  covert  and  rcrd.  These  words  are  not  thus 
specially  designated  in  the  original,  neither  does 
there  appear  to  be  an^^  necessit}^  for  it.  The  sec- 
ond objection  is  to  the  word  7'ecd.  The  original 
cannot,  in  this  instance,  have  the  meaning  of  a 
rccd. 

If  so,  it  would  have  been  in  the  plural  form. 
The  word  rendered  fens  is  also  in  the  singular. 
Prof.  Lee  renders  the  latter  by  mire.  The  Sep- 
tuagint  have,  "among  the  papyrus  and  the  reed 
and  the  cane." 

Let  us  now  refer  to  the  original  Hebrew.  The 
expression  ("nilD!!!)  besether^  rendered  i7i  the  covert^ 
means  /"/z,  or,  witJiin  a  covering ;  the  latter  seems 
to  be  the  meaning  intended  here. 

As  to  the  word  (H^p)  kaneh^  I  am  satisfied  that  it 
is  not  intended  to  refer  here  to  cane  stalks,  but  to 
reeds  in  general,  and  more  probably  to  fibrous  reeds, 
or  to  a  texture  or  covering  made  of  such  fibres,  and 
which  closely  enveloped  this  monster's  body. 

From  the  original  wording  of  this  passage  it 
would  seem  as  though  this  fibrous  covering  was 
mixed  with  clay,  (nV3)  soft  clay^  rendered  so 
by  the  addition  of  water.  By  cutting  off  (d)  beth^ 
as  a  prefix  preposition,  we  would  have  (Hif)  tsaJi^ 
which  means  white^  reddish  zuhite,  dry.  As  in 
this  form  it  is  an  adjective,  the  entire  expression 
would  mean,  and  in  something  white  or  dry.  So 
that  this  second  covering  ivithin  which  this  mon- 
ster was,  would  seem  to  have  been  made  of  fibrous 


114  '-^    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

reeds,  or  of  the  fibres  of  reeds,  mixed  with    clay 
or  with  something  white. 

What  will  our  late  inventors  think  of  this  ? 
Here,  evidently,  is  described  some  of  our  lately 
invented  jjrocesses  for  covering  boilers  so  as  to 
prevent  too  great  a  radiation  of  heat  and  waste  of 
fuel.  Job  describes  this  covering  as  being  made 
of  fibrous  reeds  and  clay,  the  very  essential  parts 
of  most  of  our  late  inventions,  which  contain  jute, 
hemp,  manilla  and  other  like  fibrous  substances, 
mixed  with  cla}^  and  other  non-conductors  of  • 
heat ;  some  of  which  are  perfectl}^  white,  such  as 
a  composition  of  magnesia  which  was  lately  shown 
to  me.  Moreover,  the  clay,  which  we  find  men- 
tioned in  this  passage  as  part  of  its  covering, 
may  also  refer  to  the  bricks  and  mortar  with 
which  most  of  our  stationary  boilers  are   covered. 

Here,  then,  we  cannot  help  recognizing  our 
stationary  steam  boiler,  set  up  and  resting  under 
suitable  coverings,  or  sheds,  and  imbedded  in  clay 
and  mortar. 

I  notice  that  the  Vulgate,  instead  of  mire  and 
fens^  has  in  locis  humentibiis^  as  if  this  monster 
rested  in  places  where  there  was  water.  This 
view  would  be  also  quite  applicable  to  our  steam 
engine  which  requires  an  enormous  quantity  of 
water,  and,  in  fact,  cannot  exist  where  there  is 
no  water.  Saw-mills  and  factories,  .where  large 
engines  are  used,  are  generally  located  on  the 
banks  of  rivers,  or  where  a  plentiful  supply  of 
fresh  water  can  be  had.  The}'  are  also  located 
in  the  midst  of  large  forests  of   valuable    timber 


IN    TH1-;    JiOOK    OK   JOJJ.  II5 

for  the  purpose  of  sawing  them  and  making  them 
available  for  building  and  other  purposes. 

In  connection  with  this  fact,  the  rendering  of 
the  Septuagint  is  very  remarkable,  as  it  reads  : 
*'  He  rests  under  tree?^  of  different  kinds." 

It  must  be  admitted  that,  up  to  the  present 
day,  nothing  has  been  discovered  which  solves 
so  well  the  intricacies  of  this  description  as  our 
modern  monster,  as  he  is  actually  set  to  rest 
under  sheltering  places,  and  imbedded  under  a 
thick  covering  of  cla}^  or  mortar. 

This  verse  has  caused  me  a  great  deal  of  vex- 
atious labor,  as  it  has  to  many  others  before  me ; 
yet  I  will  consider  myself  well  repaid  if  I  have 
succeeded  in  satisfying  the  reader  that  I  have 
brought  out  its  true  meaning,  which  I  consider 
to  be  the  following: 

"  He  will  rest  beneath  light  shelters,  and  with- 
in a  covering  of  fibrous  reeds  and  clay." 


ii6 


A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 


HIS  SHELTERING  PLACE  WILL  BE  COVERED 
AND  INCLOSED. 


Verse  22. 


mp\ 

They  will  cover,  protect 

Protetrunt 

D^NV 

sleuder  shadings 

umbra:^ 

"^^ 

his  shelter  ; 

umbram  ejus  ; 

)nto' 

they  will  inclose  him  roundabout 

circumdabuut  eum 

-o-);r 

trees,  willows 

sal  ices 

:^™ 

of  the  valley,  brook. 

torrentis. 

"The  shady  trees  cover    him  with  their   shadow;    the 
willows  of  the  brook  compass  him  about." 


Taking  this  verse  as  it  reads  in  most  transla- 
tions, it  would  seem  to  be  but  a  useless  and  even 
more  complicated  repetition  of  the  ideas  already 
expressed  in  the  previous  verse,  viz.,  that  "  he 
lieth  under  the  shady  trees."  Then,  again,  in  the 
second  member  of  this  verse,  it  is  said  that  "  the 
willows  of  the  brook  compass  him  about ;"  whilst, 
to  the  contrary,  in  the  previous  verse  it  is  said 
that  he  is  "  in  the  covert  of  the  reed  and  fens." 
There  is  evidently  something  wrong  with  our 
ordinary  interpretations  of  these  passages.  More- 
over, if  we  compare  the  English  translation  of  the 
first  part  of  this  verse  with  the  original  Hebrew, 
we  will  find  that  it  is  not,  strictly,  a  literal  render- 


IN   THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  1 17 

ing.  To  be  such  it  would  have  to  read,  "  The 
shades  will  cover  his  shadow."  Such  is  also  the 
rendering  of  the  Vulgate. 

But  what  this  means  is  difficult  to  fathom. 
Undoubtedly  the  whole  trouble  has  been  caused 
b}^  the  wrong  interpretation  of  the  word  {^^^) 
tsaal^  rendered  shades^  shady  trees. 

If  the  interpretation  I  gave  of  this  word  in  the 
previous  verse,  viz.,  a  shelter^  or  thin  slabs  of  ivood^ 
thin  boards  or  shingles^  is  the  proper  one,  it  cer- 
tainly should  solve  the  difficulties  of  this  passage 
also ;  although  it  is  much  more  complicated  by  a 
play  on  the  word.  Moreover,  in  this  instance,  it 
is  important  to  notice  that  these  thin  coverings 
are  not  said  to  cover  this  monster,  but  rather  to 
cover  that  which  shelters  him.  The  difficulty 
here  is,  that  both  the  things  out  of  which  this 
shelter  or  shade  is  made,  and  the  shelter  itself,  are 
designated  by  the  same  word. 

The  only  rendering  which  would  seem  to  solve 
all  the  difficulties  of  this  passage  would  be  the 
following :  "  Thin  shadings  will  cover  his  shelter." 

Undoubtedly  reference  is  here  made  to  some  thin 
strips  of  wood,  like  shingles,  for  instance,  which 
covered  this  monster's  shelter  or  shed ;  the  latter 
being  also  constructed  of  thin  boards,  or  slender 
pieces  of  timber,  as  explained  in  the  previous 
verse. 

This  seems  to  be  such  a  direct  reference  to  the 
covering  of  the  roof  of  a  shed  with  shingles,  or 
thin  strips  of  wood,  that  no  one  can  avoid  recog- 
nizing it.     Moreover,  it  answers  every  requirement 


Il8         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

of  this  passage  and  also  of  the  previous  oues ;  in 
fact,  it  seems  to  be  the  only  plausible  solution  of 
the  difficulties  met  with  in  these  two  verses. 
There  would  be  no  sense  in  saying  "  the  shady 
trees  cover  his  shady  tree,"  nor  in  rendering,  "  the 
shadows  cover  his  shadow."  And  to  render  it  as 
many  do,  viz.,  "The  shady  trees  cover  him  with 
their  shadow,"  is  not  a  correct  version  of  the 
original.  Then,  again,  how  could  this  close  cover- 
ing of  shady  trees  be  made  to  harmonize  with 
what  is  said  in  the  second  member  of  this  verse, 
where  it  is  distinctly  stated  that  "  the  willows  of 
the  brook  (or  of  the  valley)  will  compass  him 
round  about." 

In  reading  over  carefully  these  two  verses,  the 
reader  will  perceive  that  a  condition  of  things, 
analogous  to  the  one  described  in  our  translations, 
is  not  easily  conceived,  nor  likely  to  be  possible. 
First,  this  monster  would  have  to  be  resting  under 
shady  trees  ;  then,  in  a  covert  of  reeds  and  fens  ; 
then  again,  these  same  shady  trees  would  have  to 
cover  him  with  their  shadow ;  finally,  the  willows 
of  the  brook  would  compass  him  round  about. 

Could  it  be  possible  that  such  circumlocution 
would  be  made  use  of  to  .describe  the  well-known 
and  unimportant  fact  that  the  hippopotamus  hides 
in  marshy  reeds  and  wallows  in  the  mire  like  a 
hog?  I  am  convinced  that  no  such' reference  is 
intended  here. 

But  how  natural  itnd  proper  every  word  seems 
when  applied  to  the  resting-place  of  our  monster 
of   power.      Let  us  take  him  as   he   appears,   for 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  II9 

instance,  on  the  banks  of  some  large  stream,  in 
the  midst  of  a  large  forest,  where  he  is  running 
a  saw-mill.  There,  unlike  all  other  monsters,  he 
is  actuallj^  at  rest  under  a  covert  architecturally 
constructed  of  thin  strips  of  timber  and  boards, 
the  roof  of  which  is  also  covered  with  thin  boards 
or  shingles  ;  the .  whole  structure  being  inclosed 
round  about  with  heavy  planks  from  the  trees  of 
the  valley ;  whilst  the  boiler  itself  is  imbedded  in 
a  covering  of  bricks  and  mortar.  Round  about 
him  on  all  sides  are  also  the  tall  trees  of  the 
valley.  This  fulfills  all  the  requirements  of  the 
case,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  no  valid  objection 
can  be  raised  to  this  interpretation  or  application 
of  the  original ;  whilst  of  the  hippopotamus  I 
would  say  that,  as  he  can  stay  out  of  the  water 
but  a  short  time,  he  cannot  enjoy  very  long  a 
sheltering  place  under  the  shady  trees  of  the 
valley ;  neither  could  the  mud-holes  in  which  he 
wallows  be  properly  called  a  sheltering  place.  As 
to  wild  beasts,  which  inhabit  thickets  and  dense 
forests,  they  could  not  be  referred  to  her^,  as  .all 
admit  that  the  behemoth  is  amphibious. 

Strange  to  say,  there  is  not  a  word,  in  this  long 
and  minute  description,  describing  how  this  won- 
derful creature  reared  its  young,  whilst  the  author 
is  particular  to  mention  it  in  his  description  of 
the  ostrich.  What  a  puzzle  it  would  have  been 
had  Job  said :  "  He  breedeth  not,  neither  hath  he 
any  mate ;  yet  his  posterity  will  be  numerous, 
and  overrun  the  whole  earth."  It  was  well  for 
Job,   and  for  us,    that    he    did    not    mention    this 


I20  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

fact,  nor  the  astonishing  one  that  his  leviathan 
would  run  on  wheels ;  for,  surely,  his  wonderful 
work  would  have  been  consigned  to  oblivion  as 
chimerical.  In  this  we  cannot  help  recognizing 
the  work  of  Divine  wisdom.  It  seems  impossible 
that  such  things  as  these  could  have  been  written, 
in  those  da3's,  without  having  been  first  dictated 
word  for  word. 

Every  verse  of  this  wonderful  description  has 
been  so  artfully  worded  that  the  behemoth  has 
remained  a  mystery  up  to  the  present  day. 

Undoubtedly  it  was  so  intended  from  the 
beginning. 

I  would  now  offer  the  following  as  the  meaning 
of  this  difficult  passage:  "Thin  shadings  will 
cover  his  sheltering  place ;  the  willows  of  the 
valley  will  inclose  him  round  about." 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB. 


121 


HE    WILL    ABSORB    WITH   EASE    THE    WATERS 
OF  A  FLOOD. 

Vers©  23- 


n 

Behold,  surely 

Ecce 

pcX 

he  will  absorb,  contend  with 

absorbebit 

"inj 

a  river,  torrent 

fluvium. 

^'\Dn[  N*? 

and  will  not  fret ; 

et  non  mirabitur ; 

ri:2y 

He  will  trust,  not  fear. 

Et  habet  fiduciam 

nu79 

though  should  rush  forth 

quod  influat 

m 

a  river,  Jordan 

Jordanis 

in»3-'?N 

over  its  mouth,  its  border. 

in  OS  ejus. 

"Behold,  he   drinketh    up   a   river  and   hasteth   not ;  he 
trusteth  that  he  can  draw  up  Jordan  into  his  mouth." 


The  peculiar  construction  of  this  verse,  and 
the  variety  of  meanings  which  can  be  attributed 
to  several  of  its  most  important  words,  seem  to 
huve  been  the  chief  cause  of  its  having  been  so 
variously  rendered  by  translators.  Then  the  un- 
certainty of  the  species  to  which  this  monster 
belonged,  and  of  the  precise  locality  he  inhabited, 
rendered  it  almost  impossible  to  comprehend  the 
true  meaning  of  the  original.  But  now  that  new 
ideas  concerning  the  nature  of  this  creature  are 
brought  to  bear  on  this  difficult  problem,  it  be- 
comes comparatively  an  easy  task  to  unravel  the 
meaning  of  these  difficult  passages. 


4 
122  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

Still,  it  often  occurs  that  Divine  wisdom  has 
so  peculiarly  worded  these  verses  that  they  may 
be  understood  to  refer  to  several  widely  different, 
yet  quite  appropriate,  characteristics  of  this  mon- 
ster. For  instance,  the  first  part  of  this  verse 
may  mean,  **  Surely,  he  will  contend  with  a  rapid 
torrent  without  making  great-  haste,  or  great 
efforts."  Again  it  may  as  well  mean :  "  Behold, 
he  will  absorb,  without  much  inconvenience,  an 
overflowing  river."  Both  of  these  versions  would 
agree  well  with  the  known  capacities  of  our 
modem  steam  power. 

Steam  is  capable  of  navigating  against  the 
strongest  currents,  and  without  great  efforts. 
Again,  by  means  of  our  steam  pumping  engine, 
the  waters  of  an  overflowing  stream  are  soon 
swallowed  up ;  and  the  quantity  of  water  he  thus 
absorbs  is  of  no  inconvenience  to  him. 

The  idea  expressed  in  the  Vulgate  is  this : 
"Behold,  he  will  absorb  a  river,  and  will  not 
make  much  of  it."  The  Septuagint  render : 
"  Should  there  come  a  flood  he  would  not  fret." 

Umbreit  has  :  "  Lo,  the  stream  overfloweth  ;  he 
trembleth  not,"  and  explains  by  saying  that, 
"the  sense  is,  the  animal  is  amphibious." 

Bochart,  Schultens  and  others  give  to  it  the 
meaning  of,  "The  stream  overfloweth  and  he  feareth 
UQt."  This  and  other  similar  renderings,  are  not 
strictly  in  accordance  with  the  Hebrew,  nor  with 
the  Vulgate ;  for  in '  both  of  these  the  word  riz/er 
is  obviously  in  the  objective  and  not  in  the 
nominative  case.     In  other  words,  it  is  not    said 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  1 23 

that  the  river  contends  with  him,  or  absorbs  him ; 
but  that  it  is  behemoth  that  contends  with,  a 
river,  or  absorbs  it.  And  the  only  reason  why 
some  translators  have  objected  to  such  a  reading 
is  because,  as  Barnes  saj^s,  "it  is  impossible  to  make 
good  sense  of  the  phrase  he  opprcsscth  a  river; 
nor  does  the  word  used  properly  admit  of  the 
translation  he  drinketh  up.''''  Had  Barnes  thought 
of  our  powerful  steam-pumping  engine,  how  soon 
he  would  have  realized  the  propriety  of  saying 
that  he  could  oppose  or  press  against  a  raging 
torrent,  or  drink  up  the  waters  of  an  overflowing 
stream.  Behold  here  in  New  Orleans,  when  the 
great  Mississippi  overflows  its  borders,  it  is  the 
steam-pumping  engine  that  drinks  up  the  over- 
flowing waters  and  forces  them  back  into  the  lake. 
It  seems  to  me  beyond  doubt  that  most  trans- 
lators understood  the  original  to  refer  to  over- 
flowing streams  of  water,  and  to  the  capacity  of 
this  creature  to  absorb  these  waters,  but  the 
trouble  was  how  to  make  it  agree  with  the  capa- 
cities of  any  kuown  animal.  Undoubtedly  it  must 
have  seemed  a  folly  to  them  to  endeavor  to  dis- 
cover any  animal  that  was  capable  of  drinking 
so  much  water  without  inconvenience  to  himself,  or 
that  would  make  it  a  pleasing  pastime  to  fonr 
back^  or  drink  up  a  river  that  was  overflowing 
its  borders.  Even  a  thousand  elephants  with  the 
power  they  have  of  absorbing  a  large  quantity 
of  water  with  their  trunks,  and  then  forcing  it 
out,  would  not  be  equal  to  the  task.  Yet,  such 
an  action  on  their  part,  would  be  a  fair  illustra- 


124  -^    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

tration  of  the  idea  intended  to  be  conveyed  here 
of  the  actual  doings  of  the  behemoth. 

Prof.  Lee,  commenting  on  this  passage,  con- 
cludes by  giving  the  following  as  its  probable 
meaning:  ''He  trusteth  that  he  can  maintain  his 
rapid  course,  even  in  opposition  to  the  swelling 
stream  of  the  Jordan."  This  is  certainly  a  strong 
corroboration  of  my  views  of  the  possible  double 
('ittente  of  this  passage,  as  I  have  explained. 

I  would  also  venture  to  say  that  there  can  be 
found  in  this  same  passage  a  meaning  quite 
different  from  either  of  the  above.  The  whole 
point  rests  upon  the  meaning  attributed  to  the 
Hebrew  word  (pt^-T)  asliak.  Albert  Barnes  re- 
ferring to  this  word,  say  :  "  It  usually  means  to 
oppress,  to  treat  with  violence  and  injustice;  and 
to  defraud,  or  extort."  It  is  in  the  latter  sense 
that  I  will  now  apply  it.  And,  we  have  as  the 
result,  "  Behold,  he  will  defraud  a  swift  torrent, 
or  river,  without  much  exertion." 

Taken  in  this  sense,  it  would  appear  that  this 
monster  would  have  occasion  to  come  in  contact 
with,  or  to  place  himself  in  opposition  to,  the 
rivers  and  that  he  would  defraud  them  of  some- 
thing that  belonged  to  them ;  and  that  he  would 
do  this  zvithoiit  7nuch  exertion. 

From  these  last  words  it  would  appear  as  though 
it  was  a  matter  of  speed  between  himself  and  the 
rivers,  and  that  he  would  thus  get  some  advan- 
tage over  them.  How  would  this  agree  with  our 
various  systems  of  railroads  which  have  virtually 
defrauded  the  rivers    out  of  their    ancient   rights 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF  JOB.  1 25 

of  common  carriers  of  the  nations  ?"  The}'  have 
defrauded  them  of  their  freight  and  of  their  pas- 
sengers, and  wilJwut  nmch  excriio)i.  The}"-  can 
compete  with  advantage  against  the  swiftest  tor- 
rents, and  yet  not  make  great  haste. 

In  fact  the  great  advantage  that  railroads  have, 
over  river  routes,  is  their  speed. 

There  is  certainly  no  other  monster  in  exist- 
ence which  could  fulfill  so  completely  the  various 
meanings  which,  as  I  have  shown,  can  be  attri- 
buted to  this  passage.  Of  no  animal  could  it  be 
said,  with  equal  propriety,  "  He  drinketh  '  up  a 
river  and  hasteth  not."  Supposing  that  these 
expressions  be  poetical  or  figurative,  they  would 
nevertheless  mean-  that  the  behemoth  drinks  an 
enormous  amount  of  water,  and  without  haste  or 
inconvenience  to  himself.  Even  so,  could  this 
be  more  applicable  to  the  hippopotamus  than  to 
our  monster  of  power? 

Behold  the  capacity  of  one  of  our  large  steam- 
pumping  engines  both  for  the  quantity  of  water 
it  consumes  per  day,  and  the  amount  it  can  absorb 
by  pumping,  and  3^ou  will  readily  notice  the 
beauty  and  propriety  of  saying,  "  he  drinketh 
up  a  river,"  or,  that  '  he  can  absorb  an  overflow- 
ing river  without  much  exertion,  or  inconvenience." 

Our  monster  of  power  drinks  up  a  vast  amount 
of  water  per  day  ;  yet,  in  the  very  words  of  this 
passage,  "  he  hasteth  not"  in  drinking;  for,  as  every 
one  knows,  the  water  is  admitted  only  gradually 
into  the  boiler  to  supply  the  amount  being  vapor- 
ized.    In  this  sense  how  astonishing  the  foresight 


126  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

of  the  prophet  in  saying  that^in  drinking  "he 
hasteth  not,"  but  absorbs  the  water  gradually. 
How  well  a  good  engineer  will  appreciate  this, 
he  who  is  constantly  on  the  alert  lest  his  raging 
monster  drink  too  much,  or,  still  worse,  too  little. 
It  is  the  same  with  the  steam  pump,  it  absorbs 
the  water  gradually,  and  hasteth  not  to  swallow 
it  all  at  once. 

The  second  part  of  this  verse  has  been  as 
variously  rendered  as  the  first,  and  has  caused 
as  much  vexation  to  the  student. 

The  ordinary  English  version  reads  :  "He  trust- 
eth  that  he  can  draw  up  Jordan  into  his  mouth." 
Umbreit  renders  :  "  He  is  of  good  courage  though 
the  Jordan  reacheth  to  his  mouth." 

The  Septuagint  express  the  idea  thus,  "  He  is 
confident  that  the  Jordan  would  fail  before  his 
mouth."  Undoubtedly  the  meaning  intended  to 
be  conveyed  by  the  verb  irpooKpovu  is  that-  the  Jor- 
dan would  dash  in  vain  into  his  mouth,  for  he 
would  swallow  the  waters  as  fast  as  they  came. 
This  is  a  continuation  of  the  idea  expressed  by 
the  Septuagint  in  the  first  part  of  the  verse,  viz.; 
"  Should  an  inundation  occur  he  would  not  fret," 
for  he  would  cause  the  overflowing  water  to  fail 
before  his  mouth.  In  other  words,  his  capacity 
(his  mouth)  for  absorbing  an  overflowing  stream 
would  be  so  great  that  the  waters  of  a  -flood  would 
not  inconvenience  him  in  the  least. 

Such  are  the  Septitagint's  views  of  the  mean- 
ing of  this  verse ;  and  I  consider  them  better 
than    those    expressed   by    any    other   version    or 


IX    THK    BOOK    OF   JOl'..  127 

commentary.  Yet  they  are  not  a  literal  render- 
ing of  the  original,  especially  of  the  first  part,  of 
the  verse,  although  the  idea  of  its  referring  to 
an  overflowing  river,  or  to  an  inn7tdation^  is  the 
correct  one.  A  further  proof  of  this  will  be  seen 
in  the  verse  which  will  follow,  where  the  means, 
which  this  monster  makes  use  of  to  dispose  of 
these  overflowing  waters,  are  clearly  indicated. 

The  more  I  read  over  the  second  member  of 
this  verse  the  more  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
the  original  word  to  trusty  should  be  pointed  so 
as  to  read  in  Hiphil — he  will  cause  to  trust, — 
Most  commentators  have  looked  on  the  expression, 
his  mouth,  as  referring  exclusively  to  the  mouth 
of  the  behemoth,  whilst  it  might,  and  probably 
has  been  intended  for  the  tnoiitli  or  rather  the  bor- 
der of  the  Jordan,  or  of -any  large  river.  Thus' 
we  might  render  :  "  He  will  cause  to  trust  though 
a  river  should  rush  forth  over  its  border."  The 
idea  being  that,  should  a  river  burst  forth  over 
it  borders,  or  swell  even  up  to  its  very  border, 
this  monster,  on  account  of  his  great  capacity  for 
absorbing  a  large  quantity  of  water,  would  cause 
the  people  to  trust,  or  to  have  confidence  that 
they  would   not  be  entirely  overwhelmed. 

The  original  word  rendered  Jordan  means,  pri- 
marily, a  river,  or  any  river,  as  well  as  the  river 
Jordan.  It  is  often  poetically  used  for  any  large 
river.  Such  are  the  views  of  Gesenius,  Bochart, 
and  others.  Undoubtedly  here,  it  may  be  intended 
i;for  any  river  which  may  overflow  its  borders. 
Taking  the  word  ynoiith  as  referring  to  the    bor- 


128         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

der  of  a  river,  it  would  settle  a  great  many  con- 
jectures and  difficulties  caused  by  tlie  ordinary 
rendering  of  the  word,  and  even  render  easier 
the  application  of  this  passage  to  an  amphibious 
animal  who  could  have  no  fear  of  a  river  over- 
flowing its  borders ;  but  who  could  not  be  ex- 
pected to  keep  his  mouth  open  for  the  waters  to 
flow  into  it.  I  fail  to  see  how,  at  all  events,  an 
overflowing  stream  could  be  supposed  to  have  any 
more  tendency  towards  an  animal's  mouth  than 
towards  any  other  part  of  its  body.  Against  those 
who  suppose  that  the  hippopotamus  is  here  meant, 
I  would  say  that  this  monster  is  certainly  not 
found  in  the  Jordan,  nor  in  any  large  river. 
Neither  would  it  be  singular  or  wonderful  in  such 
an  amphibious  creature  not  to  be  alarmed  at  an 
overflowing  stream,  when  he  could  not  fear  being 
harmed  by  it.  JM either  is  it  the  habit  of  the  hip- 
popotamus to  amuse  himself  by  absorbing  the 
Waters  of  an  overflowing  river;  even  so,  he  cer- 
tainly could  not  swallow  much  without  great  in- 
convenience to  himself;  whilst  the  monster  here 
referred  to  is  said  to  absorb  the  waters  of  an 
overflowing  river  without  much  exertion  or  in- 
convenience. 

Viewing  this  passage  as  referring  to  the  ca- 
pacity of  a  large  steam-pumping  engine,  it  be- 
comes qiiite  intelligible  how -it  could 'be  said  of 
it  that  he  causeth  the  people  to  trust,  though  a 
river  should  burst  ov'fer  its  border  ;  for  it  can  ab- 
sorb such  a  vast  quantity  of  water  that  in  a  short  * 
time  it  would  reduce  the  flood  which,  otherwise, 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  129 

miglit  have  proved  very  disastrous  to  the  people, 
especially  in  low  grounds  where  the  water  might 
be  apt  to  remain  for  a  long  time  unless  pumped 
out. 

Such  is  the  actual  condition  of  many  large 
cities  built  in  swampy  lands  which  have  been  re- 
claimed from  the  waters  by  a  system  of  levees  or 
embankments.  When  there  is  danger  of  the 
waters  rushing  over  these,  the  only  trust  of  thc 
inhabitants  is  in  their  steam-draining  machines, 
which  could  soon  force  the  water  back  over  the 
embankments. 

In  this  sense  we  can  appreciate  the  full  beauty 
and  meaning  of  the  words  of  Job  when  he  said : 
**  Behold,  he  will,  absorb  an  overflowing  river 
without  much  exertion  ;  he  will  cause  the  people 
to  trust,  though  a  Jordan  should  rush  forth  over 
its  border." 


I30 


A   WONDERFUI,    DISCOVERY 


HE  WILTv  GATHER  THE  OVERFLOWING  WATERS 
THROUGH  HIS  NOSE. 


Verse  2-4. 


vp;j;i 

In  his  fountains,  (eyes) 

In  oculis  ejus 

linp; 

he  will  gather  it  up 

capiet  eum 

D^tr'i^lm 

with  traps,  or,  snares 

quasi  hamo 

"^P^* 

"Dp^l  and  wil/t  a  perforated 

et  perforabit  in 

'^^ 

nose,  or,  nozzle. 

fudibus  nares  ejus 

*'  He  taketh  it  with  his  eyes ;  his  nose  pierceth  through 
snares."  

Although  these  last  lines  are  written  in  a 
plain  modern  tongue,  yet  I  doubt  very  much  that 
the  reader  can  feel  satisfied  that  *he  understands 
to  what  they  refer. 

Does  the  pronoun  z'l  refer  here  to  the  Jordan 
mentioned  in  the  previous  verse?  If  so,  then 
this  passage  means  that  the  behemoth  taketh  the 
Jordan  7m'^/i  his  eyes ;  which  is  absurd.  If  the 
pronoun  refers  to  the  overflowing  waters  of  the 
Jordan,  then  how  can  the  behemoth  be  said  to 
take  it  with  his  eyes  ? 

Evidently  the  original  word  rendered  eyes  must 
have  here  some  other  Mgnification.  The  Vulgate 
has :  "  He  will  take  him  in  his  eyes  as  if  with  a 
hook."     Maybe  the  expression  in  his  eyes  is  here 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  I3I 

meant  for  in  his  presejice^  before  his  eyes.  Even 
so,  to  what  can  the  personal  pronoun  he  refer  its  ? 
Naturally  it  should  refer  to  behemoth,  as  it  has 
in  the  nine  preceding  verses.  But  the  inference 
to  be  drawn  from  the  Vulgate  is,  that  it  refers 
to  a  hunter  endeavoring  to  capture  the  behemoth 
with  a  hook.  But  this  is  not  warranted  by  the 
context,  nor  by  anything  which  precedes  this 
verse.  Such  a  monster  could  not  be  captured 
by  one  man  with  a  hook,  and  before  his  very 
eyes.  Moreover,  in  the  original  the  word  rendered 
hook  is  in  the  plural. 

The  Septuagint  render :  "  He  will  take  him  in 
his  eye."  By  this  rendering  they  seem  to  have 
considered  that  the'  expression  (DVpi^?)  bemokc' 
shim^  with  traps ^  snares^  etc.,  belonged  to  the  second 
member  of  the  verse.  Such  is  the  view  taken  of  it 
by  most  English  versions.  Yet,  its  correctness  will 
depend  on  the  meaning  which  may  be  attributed 
to  the  balance  of  the  verse,  which  is  most  dilEcult 
to  understand  as  it  now  appears  in  theHebrew. 

The  following  French  version  is  far  more  lucid, 
and  more  in  keeping  with  the  subject,  than  any 
of  the  above.  It  reads :  "  II  I'engloutit  en  le 
voyant ;"  He  swallows  it  at  sight.  Meaning  that 
behemoth  swallows  the  overflowing  water  at  sight. 
This  is  just  what  we  might  expect  after  what  we 
have  been  told  in  the  previous  verse,  viz.,  that  he 
would  cause  the  people  to  trust  though  a  river 
should  flow  over  its  border. 

The  circumstances  here  would  go  to  prove  that 
,  the  reason  of  the  people  trusting  in  him  was  his 


132  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

capacity  to  relieve  tliem  of  these  overflowing 
waters,  which,  says  the  French  version,  he  swal- 
lows at  sight.  Yet  this  is  only  giving  a  fair  idea 
of  the  drift  of  this  passage,  and  not  its  literal 
meaning.  The  author,  as  you  will  notice,  finds 
no  allusion  here  to  the  means  whereby  the  behe- 
moth is  captured.  Neither  do  I.  Those  who  are 
of  a  contrary  opinion  have  to  do  violence  to  the 
text  in  order  to  carry  out  their  views.  For 
instance,  a  marginal  reading,  quoted  by  many 
authors,  has:  "Will  any  take  him  in  his  sight  ?''^ 
The  original  will  not  bear  this  construction.  It 
has  not  the  interrogative  form  so  clearly  indicated 
in  at  least  half-a-dozen  places  in  the  balance  of 
this  description. 

Commenting  on  the  above,  Barnes  says :  "  From 
this  marginal  reading  it  is  evident  that  our  trans- 
lators were  much  perplexed  with  this  passage. 
Expositors  have  been  also  much  embarrassed  in 
regard  to  its  meaning,  and  have  differed  much  in 
their  exposition." 

Bochart,  in  order  to  make  it  agree  with  his 
hippopotamus,  gives  it  also  the  interrogative  form^ 
viewing  it  in  the  sense  of  a  denial  of  the  pos- 
sibility of  capturing  this  monster  by  ordinary 
means.  I  will  show,  in  the  next  few  pages,  that 
the  original  needs  no  such  forced  construction  to 
make  it  agree  with  our  rdodem  monster;  al- 
though I  must  concede  that  this  verse  is  an 
exceptionally  difficult  one,  both  on  account  of  its 
construction  and  of  its  brevity.  It  even  seems 
defective  in  its  second  member. 


IN   THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  133 

In  order  to  arrive  at  a  correct  understanding 
of  this  verse,  it  is  necessary  to  examine  closely 
into  the  various  meanings  of  each  word  of  the 
original.  This  the  reader  can  do  by  referring  to 
the  beginning  of  this  verse,  where,  as  usual,  I 
have  given,  opposite  each  Hebrew  word,  its  corre- 
sponding meaning  in  English. 

The  first  word,  rendered  eyes,  according  to  its 
"oot,  means,  primarily,  to  flow,  to  flow  out ;  hence 
fou7itai7i ;  then  eye.  In  the  sense  oi  fountains, 
they  may  refer  to  certain  receptacles  into  >vhich 
the  overflowing  water,  mentioned  in  the  previous 
verse,  was  gathered  and  then  allowed  to  flow  out 
like  a  continuous  fountain  stream ;  hence  their 
name  of  fountains.'  These  receptacles  might  refer 
to  the  buckets  of  a  draining- wheel,  by  means  of 
which  the  water  is  gathered  up  and  then  allowed 
to  flow  out  as  from  so  many  fountains.  Then 
again,  they  may  refer  to  some  large  round  open- 
ings through  which  the  water  continuously  flowed 
out,  resembling,  in  this,  large  flowing  wells  or 
fountains.  This  idea,  which  seems  most  likely  to 
be  the  one  intended  here,  would  answer  very  well 
to  the  draining-pipes  of  our  large  steam  pumping 
engines,  through  which  (pipes)  a  tremendous  and 
continuous  stream  of  water  is  caused  to  flow  by 
means  of  direct-acting  pumps  or  turbine-wheels. 
No  better  expression  could  have  been  made  use 
of  by  our  great  Seer  to  express  the  vision  of  a 
great  volume  of  water  issuing  with  great  force 
out  of  pipes,  strikingly  resembling,  indeed,  large 
fountains  springing  out  of  the  earth. 


134  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

And  these  lie  called  his  fountains ;  indicating 
by  this  expression  that  he  knew  that  this  behe- 
moth was  the  cause  of  what  he  saw,  and  that  these 
fountains,  or  draining-pipes,  formed  a  part  of  his 
apparatus. 

Another  cause  of  annoyance  and  difficulty  to 
the  translator  and  exegetist,  has  been  the  doubt- 
ful meaning  and  reference  of  the  expression 
(D*^plD5)  bemokeshim^  rendered,  in^  or,  with  snares, 
traps^  etc.  These  have  generally  been  considered 
as  referring  to  the  means  employed  to  capture 
this  monster,  as  we  have  already  seen.  I  can 
find  no  such  allusion  here,  but,  to  the  contrary, 
a  direct  reference  to  some  means  made  use  of  by 
this  monster  himself  (the  steam-pumping  engine) , 
to  e7isnare  or  entrap  the  water  which  he  forced 
through  his  fountains,  or  draining  pipes. 

It  is  quite  evident  to  me  that  the  well-known 
principle  of  a  suction  pump  is  here  referred  to ; 
and  that  these  snares^  or,  traps ^  refer  to  the  valves 
or  water-traps  of  a  pump.  Such  valves  are  lo- 
cated within  the  cavity  of  a  vessel,  and  are  made 
of  plates  of  metal  or  of  leather.  They  open  up- 
ward to  admit  the  water,  and  close  downward  to 
prevent  its  return ;  and,  indeed,  constitute,  in 
this,  a  regular  trap^  by  means  of  which  the  water 
is  caught  and  not  allowed  to  escape,  except  in 
the  direction  intended. 

Undoubtedly,  few  would  ever  dream  of  finding, 
in  this  difficult  passage,  so  wonderful  and  accu- 
rate a  description  of  the  construction  and  action 
of  a  pump.     Yet,  it  must  be.  conceded  that    this 


IN  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  135 

intrepretation  suits  exactly  all  the  requirements 
of  the.  case  ;  besides  being  a  perfectly  literal  ren- 
dering of  the  original. 

In  it  we  also  find  a  natural  continuation  of  the 
subject  alluded  to  in  the  previous  verse,  which 
is  the  capacity  of  this  monster  for  absorbing  a 
large  quantity  of  water.  Here  are  described  the 
means  by  which  he  accomplishes  this  great  feat, 
viz.:  "  He  will  gather  it  up  in  his  fountains  by 
means  of  traps."  The  reader  will  also  take  no- 
tice that  the  verb  here  is  in  the  future,  thereby 
indicating  that  this  action  had  not  already  oc- 
curred, but  would  at  some  future  time. 

The  second  part  of  this  verse  is  as  difficult,  if 
not  more  so,  than  the  first,  and  has  been  as  var- 
iously rendered.  When  closely  studied,  the  en- 
tire verse  seems  to  be  but  one  sentence,  and  can- 
not be  easily  divided  into  two  proportionate  hemi- 
stiches. To  remedy  this  apparent  defect  some 
translators  have  included  in  the  second  hemistich 
the  word  snare ^  trap ;  and  render,  "  his  nose 
pierceth  through  snares." 

Albert  Barnes  has,  "  When  taken  in  snares, 
who  can  pierce  'his  nose  ?"  The  late  Revised 
Version  of  Oxford  has  rendered  the  whole  thus  : 
"  Shall  any  one  take  him  when  he  is  on  the 
watch,  or  pierce  through  his  nose  with  a  snare  ?" 
As  you  will  notice,  in  order  to  make  sense  out 
of  this  passage,  they  have  been  force  to  give  it 
an  interrogative  turn,  and  to  introduce  at  the 
same  time  the  possessive  pronoun,  his  (his  nose), 
whilst  it  does  not  occur  in  the    original.     If   we 


136        A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

accept  the  remainiug  words  of  this  verse  (J  pK"3p^^) 
in  the  form  they  stand,  it  is  hard  to  make  any 
sense  out  of  them. 

According  to  their  generally  accepted  meaning 
we  would  have,  literally,  "  He  will  hollow  out,  or 
perforate,  or  pierce  through  a  nose."  But  an- 
other difficulty  arises  here,  which  gives  us  rea- 
sons to  doubt  of  the  correctness  of  the  present 
form  of  the  word  (^j7?)  yinkav.  It  is  not  the 
regular  form  of  the  fut.  of  (^p^)  iiakav ;  it  should 
be  (Dp!)  yikkov.  Moveover,  from  the  intimate  re- 
lation of  this  last  word  to  the  preceding  one,  as 
indicated  by  the  hyphen,  in  the  Hebrew,  the  or- 
der of  the  words  should  not  be  reversed  so  as  to 
read,  "  his  nose  pierceth  through,"  as  many  have 
rendered.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that,  originally, 
the  present  word  (Dp-?!)  yinekav^  read  (Dp^.l) 
ounekev^  meaning  and  a  pipe^  or  something  per- 
forated^ hollowed  out. 

The  entire  expression  would  then  mean — and 
a  pipe-nose ;  or,  and  a  hollowed  out  nose.  I  con- 
sider that  the  reference  here  is  to  a  perforated 
nozzle. 

It  seems  quite  evident  to  me  that  the  reading 
which  I  have  proposed  in  this  case  was  the 
original  one,  and  that  the  whole  trouble  is  due 
to  the  error  of  some  scribe,  or  most  probably  to 
the  ^  difficulty  of  distinguishing,  in  an  old  and 
obliterated  manuscript,  jDCtween  the  slight  differ- 
ence there  is  between  a  yodh^  and  a  vave. 

Then  again,  under  such  circumstances,  the  diffi- 
culty of  understanding  what  could  be  meant  by 


IN   THE   BOOK    OF  JOB.  I37 

a  hollowed  out  nose,  might  have  had  some  in- 
fluence  in  determining  the  copyist  in  his  choice. 

I  consider  that  this  hollow  or  perforated  nozzle, 
or  nose,  is  nothing  less  than  what  is  called  the 
suction-basket,  or  perforated  brass  tube  coupled  on 
to  the  end  of  the  suction  hose,  or  pipes,  of  our 
steam  pumping  engines.  Some  of  these  nozzles 
resemble  much,  indeed,  in  their  appearance,  as 
well  as  in  their  noisy  gurgling  action  in  sucking 
up  the  water,  the  snout  of  some  aquatic  monster 
who  is  quenching  his  thirst. 

According  to  the  above,  this  remarkable  and 
dif&cult  verse  would  now  read :  "  He  will  gather 
it  up  (the  water)  in  his  fountains,  by  means  of 
traps  (valves),  and  with  a  perforated  nozzle." 

As  novel  and  extraordinary  as  are  the  dis- 
closures of  the  above  rendering,  yet  I  am  satisfied 
that  the  reader  will  find  in  it  none  of  the  objec- 
tionable features  which  are  so  prominent  in  the 
various  versions  which  have  been  proposed  up  to 
the  present  day. 

It  agrees  perfectly  with  the  meaning  and  re- 
ference which  I  have  shown  the  previous  verses  to 
have.  It  is  strictly  literal,  and  needs  neither  the 
addition  nor  the  transposition  of  a  single  word 
to  render  it  perfectly  intelligible. 

Neither  have  I  found  it  necessary  to  resort  to 
the  supposition  of  Bochart,  and  others,  that  this 
verse  should  be  read  interrogatively ;  by  this 
means  they  give  it  a  tone  of  denial  in  order  to 
make  it  agree  with  their  views.  Then  again  the 
evident  reference  of  this  verse  to  the  construction 


138        A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

of  the  pump  of  the  steam  draining  machine,  so 
clearly  alluded  to  in  the  previous  verse,  has 
enabled  us  to  detect  an  evident  clerical  error  in 
the  original  text,  as  explained  in  the  previous 
page. 

According  to  the  views  of  all  those  who  have 
preceded  me  in  the  dif&cult  task  of  unravelling 
this  great  mystery,  this  verse  would  end  the  de- 
scription of  the  behemoth,  taken  as  referring  to 
some  wild  animal. 

But,  as  I  have  already  stated,  the  behemoth, 
viewed  as  our  modem  fiery  monster,  discloses  the 
astonishing  fact  that  he  is  a  twin  brother  of  the 
leviathan  and  of  the  same  fiery  nature,  only  that 
he  is  deprived  of  the  use  of  limbs  and  caused  to 
be  stationary;  whilst  his  brother,  the  leviathan 
can  propel  himself,  and  is  known  for  his  great  speed 
on  sea  and  on  land.  Both  are  endowed  with  the 
same  peculiar  power  and  strength.  Indeed  they 
are  masterpieces  of  strength  and  beauty,  and  kings 
over  all  conceptions  of  power,     (xl.  19;  xli.  34.) 


IN   THE    BOOK   OF  JOB. 


139 


LEVIATHAN. 

WHEN  MADE  TO  PULL,  HE  IS  COUPLED  WITH 
A  LINK. 

Ctiapter  3cll.  v.  1. 


:  i;!!^^'^ 


Thou  wilt  extend,  lengthen  out, 

leviathan 

with  a  hook 

or  with  a  snare,  noose,  which 

thou  shalt  cause  to  press  down, 

his  tongue. 


An  extrahere  poteria 

leviathan 

hamo, 

et  fune 

ligabis 

linguam  ejus  ? 


* '  Canst  thou  draw  out  leviathan  with  an  hook  ?    or  his 
tongue  with  a  cord  which  thou  lettest  down  ?" 


Generally  this  verse  is  made  the  beginning 
of  a  new  chapter.  The  reason  for  this  seems  to 
have  been  the  supposition  that  the  word  leviathan^ 
which  occurs  in  this  verse,  referred  to  some  animal 
entirely  different  from  the  behemoth ;  for  such  is 
*  the  universal  opinion  of  commentators  up  to  the 
present  day.  As  I  have  already  stated  in  the 
previous  chapter,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  establish 
conclusively,  from  the  separate  meaning  and  ap- 
plication of  each  verse,  as  well  as  from  the  con- 
cordance of  both  chapters,  that  the  so-called 
behemoth  and  leviathan  are  the  one  and  the 
same    power,   described    under    its   two  main    fea- 


I40  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

tures,  viz.,  the  stationary  steam  engine,  and  tlie 
self-propelling  steam  engine,  the  latter  including 
the  marine  engine. 

In  the  original  manuscripts  this  description 
was  not  divided  into  two  parts.  The  division  of 
the  Bible  into  chapters  and  verses,  as  is  well 
known,  is  the  work  of  a  much  later  hand.  Even 
at  the  present  day  the  above  verse,  in  the  Hebrew 
editions,  is  numbered  the  twenty-fifth  of  the 
fortieth  chapter. 

The  chief  difficulty  in  this  verse,  and  the  one 
which,  undoubtedly,  caused  it  to  be  misunder- 
stood and  wrongly  applied,  is  the  word  leviathan. 

It  is  not  a  proper  noun,  nor  the  name  of  any 
animal  known  to  the  present  day.  It  has  puzzled 
the  most  learned  scholars,  and  the  best  they 
could  do,  after  pages  of  comment,  was  to  leave 
the  original  word  as  they  found  it,  and  incorpo- 
rate it  whole  into  their  various  translations. 
The  Septuagint,  however,  render  it  by  the  word 
dragon.,  which  I  find  to  be  far  more  appropriate, 
as  it  means,  in  almost  every  language,  a  fiery 
monster.,  a  fiery  fiiying  serpent.  Up  to  the  present 
day  such  a  monster  has  been  considered  fabulous. 
But  just  at  this  moment,  and  under  the  light  of 
the  present  discovery,  it  becomes  somewhat  in- 
teresting to  know  where  the  ancients  could  have 
obtained  their  idea  of  a  monster  so  much  resem- 
bling one  which  h^  but  recently  made  its  ap- 
pearance in  our  midst.  Indeed,  our  steam  engine 
is  a  veritable  fiery  monster.,  and  our  lightning 
trains  and  locomotives  real  ^fiery-flying  serpents. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  141 

Might  not  the  idea  of  these  so-called  fabulous 
monsters  have  been  derived  from  visions  a^d 
prophecies  dating  back  to  the  origin  of  mankind, 
yet  referring  to  things  of  onr  days  ?  Might  it 
not  have  been  derived  from  this  vision  of  Job? 

To  say  the  least,  it  is  very  significant  to  find 
the  wise  Septuagint  designating  this  leviathan 
as  the  dragon^  or  fiery  monster  of  ancient  tradi- 
tion. Undoubtedl}'-,  had  these  learned  men  known 
or  ever  heard  of  an  animal  called  leviathan^  they 
would  have  retained  the  name. 

In  reference  to  this  leviathan  Adam  Clarke 
says :  "  We  come  now  to  a  subject  not  less  per- 
plexing than  that  one  which  we  have  just  passed, 
and  a  subject  on-v/hich  learned  men  are  less 
agreed  than  on  the  preceding." 

Albert  Barnes's  opinion  is,  that  "the  whole 
description  here  is  of  an  animal  that  lived  in  the 
water;"  and  adds:  "Much  has  been  written  re- 
specting this  animal,  and  the  opinions  which  have 
been  entertained  have  been  very  various." 

Schultens  enumerates  the  following  classes  of 
opinions  in  regard  to  the  animal  intended  here  : 

I.  The  opinion  that  the  word  leviathan  is  to 
be  retained,  without  attempting  to  explain  it — 
implying  that  there  was  uncertainty  as  to  the 
meaning.  Under  this  head  he  refers  to  the 
Chaldee  and  the  Vulgate,  to  Aquila  and  Symma- 
chus,  where  the  word  is  retained,  and  to  the  Sep- 
tuagint, where  the  word  ('W^oi"-")  dragon  is  used, 
and  also  to  the  Syriac  and  Arabic,  where  the  same 
word  occurs. 


142 


A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 


2.  The  fable  of  the  Jews,  who  mention  a  serpent 
so  large  that  it  encompassed  the  whole  earth. 
A  belief  of  the  existence  of  such  a  marine  serpent 
or  monster  still  prevails  among  the  Nestorians. 

3.  The  opinion  that  the  whale  is  intended. 

4.  The  opinion  that  a  large  fish  called  mular  or 
musar,  which  is  found  in  the  Mediterranean,  is 
denoted.     This  is  the  opinion  of  Grotius. 

c^.  The  opinion  that  the  crocodile  of  the  Nile  is 
denoted. 

Others  have  understood  the  whole,  description 
as  allegorical,  representing  monsters  of  iniquity ; 
and  among  these,  some  have  regarded  it  as  de- 
scriptive of  the  devil !  Bochart  comes  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  crocodile  of  the  Nile  is  denoted ; 
and  in  this  opinion  critics  have  generally,  since 
his  time,  acquiesced. 

Prof.  Lee  is  of  the  opinion  that  in  this  place 
the  description  rather  suits  the  wliale^  and  more 
particularly  one  of  the  dolphin  tribe ;  although 
he  believes  that  a  sea-monster  is  the  one  generally 
alluded  to  by  the  sacred  writer. 

Such  are  the  views  of  some  of  our  most  learned 
writers  concerning  the  nature  of  the  animal  sup- 
posed to  be  referred  to  under  the  name  of  levia- 
than. Yet,  strange  to  say,  none  seem  to  have 
been  able  to  point  out  to  us  that  any  such  animals 
were  ever  called  leviathan^  by  any  « ancient  or 
modern  writer.  We  are,  therefore,  left  in  doubt, 
up  to  this  day,  as  toHhe  true  meaniug  and  refer- 
ence of  the    word. 

After  many  tedious  researches,  I  have  come  to 


IN   THE   BOOK   OF  JOB.  I43 

the  conclusion  that,  the  solution  of  this  problem 
lies  indicated  in  the  word  itself^  and  that  it  is 
intended  to  denote,  not  so  much  the  name  which 
this  monster  may  bear,  as  some  of  its  most  promi- 
nent peculiarities.  Such  we  have  already  found 
to  be  the  case  with  the  word  be-chemoth^  the 
etymology  of  this  word  agreeing  perfectly  with 
the  subsequent  description  of  this  monster  full 
of  raging  flames  and  internal  commotions.  It 
was  designedly  left  to  be  found  out,  in  after  cen- 
turies, to  what  it  referred.  I  now  presume  it  to 
have  been  thus  intended  with  the  much-soUght- 
for  meaning  of  the  word  leviathaii. 

This  word  is  evidently  a  compound  one,  com- 
posed of  (*!'?)  levi^  from  the  root'  (ni"?)  lavah^  to 
fold^  to  wreath^  to  Join  ojie^s  self  to  ajiother ;  and 
(jri)  tan^  from  the  root  (pri)  tana7i^  meaning  to 
stretch  out^  to  extend  \  hence  ([11)  tan^  jackal^  so- 
called  from  its  swift  running,  extending  itself; 
hence  also  (P^H)  tannin^  supposed  to  be  a  great 
serpent^  a  ^sea-vionster^  so  called  from  its  supposed 
length ;  in  reality,  none  other  than  this  same 
monster  of  Job.  The  ending  ([-)  a«,  may  also 
be  taken  as  an  adjective,  denoting  of  what  a  thing 
is  made.  In  this  case  it  would  mean,  one  made 
up  of  folds,  or  made  up  of  parts  linked  together, 
joined  the  one  to  the  other. 

From  this  we  may  safely  conclude  that  the 
monster  referred  to  here,  must  have  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  an  enormous  serpent,  stretched  out, 
exceedingly  long;  and  formed,  as  it  were,  of 
various  large  folds  or  parts,  all  joined  or  linked 


144  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

the  one  to  the  other.  Most  exegetists  have  con- 
ceded this,  but  could  find  nothing  better  to  suit 
it,  and  the  context,  than  the  crocodile ;  a  creature 
which  must  be  acknowledged  to  be  too  insignifi- 
cant to  bear  such  a  name^  and  too  loathsome  to 
deserve  such  praise  as  we  will  find  here  bestowed 
upon  the  leviathan. 

In  connection  with  the  above  meaning  of  the 
roots  of  the  word  leviathaii^  I  would  call  the  at- 
tention of  the  reader  to  some  further  observations 
on  the  root  (pr*)  tanan.  We  have  seen  that  it  indi- 
cates something  that  is  stretched  out^  extended ; 
and,  by  trope,  something  that  runs  swiftly-  Ac- 
cording to  the  Syriac  and  Chaldee  it  may  be 
understood  also  of  something  that  smokes,  some- 
thing similar  to  an  oven  or  furnace.  Now^  if  I 
be  permitted  to  unite  all  these  various  meanings 
of  the  word,  they  would  represent  a  monster 
made  up  of  parts  or  folds  linked  the  one  to  the 
other,  or  extending  out  like  an  enormous  ser- 
pent, running  swiftly,  or  smoking  like  an   oven. 

Have  we  anything  in  our  days,  which  might 
answer  these  singular  meanings  of  this  word,  and 
also  suit  the   context? 

I  unhesitatingly  answer — Yes ;  and  that  it  is  our 
modern  train  of  coaches  and  locomotive.  Indeed 
it  is  formed  of  various  parts  or  folds,  called 
coaches  or  cars.  They  are,  all  joined  or  linked 
the  one  to  the  other,  forming  a  long  extended 
body^  which  when  viewed  from  a  distance  ^  much 
resembles  a  huge  serpent-like  monster  as  it  glides 
rapidly  and  tortuously  through    the    forests    and 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  145 

the  vallej'S  of  the  mountains.  It  nuis  siuijtly^ 
and  a  volume  of  smoke^  as  from  a  huge  furnace, 
pours  forth  from  its  throat. 

In  a  word,  it  fulfills  each  and  every  meaning  of 
which  our  most  learned  scholars  have  found  the 
word  leviathan  to  be  susceptible. 

If  then,  this  supposed  new  monster,  leviathan^ 
be  our  self-propelling  steam  locomotive,  and  if 
my  interpretation  of  behemoth  be  the  true  one, 
then  these  two  monsters  must  be  found  to  be 
identical  in  their  nature,  and  in  many  of  their 
essential  parts ;  for,  the  stationary  steam  engine 
and  boiler  does  not  differ  much,  in  its  essential 
characteristics,  from  the  locomotive  or  self-pro- 
pelling steam  engines. 

Now,  if  we  peruse  for  a  moment  this  descrip- 
tion of  the  leviathan,  we  find  him  represented  to 
be  as  powerful  and  as  invulnerable  as  his  pre- 
decessor, behemoth.  He  also  (leviathan)  is  con- 
structed of  iron,  as  we  will  find  indicated  by  the 
nature  of  his  shields,  or  the  plates  covering  his 
body,  which  are  said  to  be  iveldcd  or  hajnmered 
together  He  also  is  full  of  raging  flames  and 
coals  of  fire.  The  motive  power  of  each  is  plainly 
indicated  to  be  in  the  centre  of  his  belly.  Finally, 
most  writers  consider  that  both  behemoth  and 
leviathan  were  amphibious  monsters,  which  is 
indeed  the  case  with  our  modern  monster  of 
power  for  he  perambulates  with  as  much  ease 
through  the  sea  as  he  does  over  the  land. 

Another  strong  point  in  favor  of  the  oneness 
of  the  main    features    of   these    monsters,  is    the 


146  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

fact  that,  none  of  the  described  parts  or  attributes 
of  the  one.  are  shown  to  differ  from  the  same 
parts  in  the  other  For  instance,  neither  the 
limbs,  nor  the  tail,  nor  the  bod}^  nor  the  food, 
nor  the  eyes  of  the  one  are  shown  to  differ  from 
those  of  the  other.  Surely,  the  contrary  of  this 
would  be  expected,  were  two  monsters  of  differ- 
ent species  being  separately  described. 

The  leviathan  of  Job  was ^  undoubtedly^  an  am- 
phibious monster ;  and  so  is  our  modern,  self- 
propelling,  fiery  monster  As  a  tiig-boat  he  cer- 
tainly fulfills  also  the  various  meanings  which 
we  have  seen  the  word  to  have. 

He  is  made  fast  to  a  long  train  of  barges, 
each  barge  made  fast  to  the  other,  forming,  as 
it  were,  a  long  extended  body  moving  around 
the  bend  and  curves  of  the  stream  like  a  huge 
serpent. 

As  a  steamship,  we  will  find  him  fulfilling  also 
all  the  requirements  of  the  sea  monster  of  Job, 
as  described  in  the  latter  part  of  this  chapter, 
and  in  many  other  parts  of  the  Bible. 

According  to  all  the  versions  which  I  have  seen, 
the  verse  under  consideration  is  made  to  appear  as 
though  the  present  Hebrew  text  read  in  the  in- 
terogative,  which  is  certainly  not  the  case.  This, 
in  itself,  will  be  found  to  be  a  serious  question, 
since  it  gives  to  the  words  of  Job  « a  meaning 
directly  opposed  to  that  which  they  reall}'  have. 

There  is  certainly  lYo  good  reason  nor  authority 
for  the  assumption  that  such  was  the  meaning- 
intended.     Evidentl}^,  nothing  ever  suggested  the 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  147 

idea  that  this  passage  should  be  given  a  nega- 
tive tone,  be3'ond  the  apparent  difficult}^  of  making 
its  meaning  agree  with  that  of  subsequent  pas- 
sages ;  this  difficulty  arising  from  the  now  evident 
fact,  at  least  to  me,  that  this  whole  description 
has  been  wrongly  applied.  Therefore,  instead  of 
rendering  this  passage :"  Canst  thou  draw  out 
leviathan  with  an  hook?"  We  should  read: 
"  Thou  wilt  draw  out  leviathan  by  means  of  a 
hook,  etc."  This  naturall}?^  seems  to  contradict 
the  repeated  assertions,  made  in  various  parts  of 
this  description,  that  this  monster  could  not  be 
captured  by  such  means,  not  even  by  harpoons 
or  spears. 

Consequently  the  supposition  that  this  verse 
was  originally  intended  to  have  a  tone  of  denial, 
which  was  readily  imparted  to  it  by  giving  it 
the  force   of  an  interrogation — Canst  thou  draw  ? 

I  consider  that  the  expression  to  draiv  out^  is 
to  be  understood  here  in  the  sense  of  to  extend^ 
to  lengthen  out. 

We  find  that  the  word  is  used  in  this  sense 
in  Isa.  xviii.  2,  7,  ^^PP  *1-3 — a  people  di-awn  out^ 
extended.     So  Gesenius,  in  lexicon. 

The  correctness  of  this  view  seems  to  be  con- 
firmed by  the  subsequent  description  of  the 
manner  in  which  this  is  to  be  accomplished ; 
viz.,  by  means  of  a  hook,  or  by  means  of  a  snare 
or  gin,  which  his  tongue  will  cause  to  drop,  or 
press  down.  We  will  see,  directly,  to  what  this 
tongue  and  snare  refer. 

According    to    the    above,    the    original    would 


148  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

mean :  "  Thou  wilt  extend  leviathan  by  means 
of  a  hook,  or  by  means  of  a  snare  which  thou 
wilt  cause  his  tongue  to  press  down  (or  to  drop, 
to  sink.)" 

We  have  seen  that  one  of  the  meanings  of 
the  word  leviathan  is,  one  extended^  drawn  out. 
Here,  then,  would  be  described  the  very  means 
by  which  this  monster  is  made  to  extend,  or 
lengthen  out. 

Any  one  who  is  in  the  least,  acquainted  with 
our  locomotives,  will  at  once  recognize,  in  the 
above,  a  most  perfect  description  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  engine  is  made  fast  to  cars  and 
coaches  in  order  to  draw  or  pull  them  along,  and 
forming,  by  this  very  means,  a  lengthening  out 
or  extension,  as  it  were,  of  his  bod}^,  thus  assum- 
ing the  appearance  of  a  monster  snake. 

In  many  instances  our  primitive  locomotives 
and  coaches  were  made  fast  to  one  another  by 
veritable  hooks.  Even  our  latest  improvements 
in  coupling  cars  consist  of  strong  and  thick  bars 
of  iron  having  a  notch  at  the  end,  somewhat 
similar  to  a  hook,  by  means  of  which  the  one 
holds  fast  to  the  other.  But  this  is  not  all;  our 
great  Seer  most  minutely  describes  here  the 
well-known  process  of  coupling  cars  by  means 
of  a  link  and  pin.  He  describes  the  combination 
of  a  hollow  drawhead  and  pin  as,  a  snare  or 
ketch.,  which  the  tougue  is  made  to  press  dozufi^ 
or  cause  to  drop.  ^ 

Undoubtedly,  this  tongue  is  the  iron  link  which 
protrudes    from    the    open    mouth  of   one  of  the 


IN   THE   BOOK   OF  JOB.  I49 

drawheads ;  and,  from  this  very  circumstance,  is 
here  poetically  called,  his  tongue ;  the  iron  pin 
being  that  part  of  the  snare  which  is  pressed  down 
by  this  tongue,  or  link. 

When  two  cars  are  brought  together,  the  pro- 
truding link  in  the  draw-head  of  the  one,  enters 
the  opening  of  that  of  the  other,  causing  thereby 
the  heavy  iron  pin  to  drop.  As  it 'does  so,  it 
passes  through  the  link  and  makes  it  fast. 
Could  anything  be  found  to  fulfill  so  completely 
the  words  of  this  passage? 

Who  can  understand  how  Job  could  have  seen 
and  examined,  so  minutely,  such  minor  details 
as  those  of  coupling  cars,  three  thousand  years 
before  railroads  came  into  existence  on  this  globe  ? 
I  dare  say  that  many  who  do  not  believe  in  Job, 
nor  in  the  Lord  who  then  spoke  to  him,  would 
be  at  a  loss  to  give  us  as  minute  and  perfect  a 
description  of  our  methods  of  coupling  cars,  al- 
though the}'  live  within  sight  of  the  great  levia- 
than. 

Let  us  now  examine  into  the  claims  which  some 
known  animals  might  have  to  the  well-defined 
characteristics  of  this  leviathan.  As  to  the  ele- 
phant being  referred  to  here  under  the  name  of 
leviathan,  all  will  agree  that  the  claim  is  unten- 
able, as  this  so-called  leviathan  is  evidently 
amphibious,  and  one  that  can  move  with  great 
rapidity  both  on  sea  and  land ;  whilst  the  con- 
trary is  the  predominant  characteristic  of  the 
elephant. 

Many  eminent  writers    have    labored    much    to 


150  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

prove  that  the  crocodile  is  here  referred  to. 
But  how  could  his  well-known  peculiarities  be 
reconciled  with  the  strange  and  extraordinary 
things  related  of  the  leviathan. 

In  the  first  place,  according  to  this  verse,  this 
monster  must  have  a  tongue  which  can  be  made 
to  protrude  suiticiently  to  be  caught  in  some  sort 
of  a  snare,  which  will  press  through  this  tongue 
and  hold  it  fast.  Now  it  is  well  known  that  the 
crocodile  has  no  such  tongue. 

On  this  passage  Prof.  Lee  remarks-:  "  Bochart 
finds  a  real  difficulty  here,  because  writers  are 
unanimous  in  declaring  that  the  crocodile  has  no 
such  tongue  as  can  be  thus  dealt  with ;  but  that 
the  tongue  he  has  is  made  fast  to  his  lower  jaw." 

It  is  also  worthy  of  notice  that,  no  ancient  or 
modern  naturalist,  ever  pointed  out  the  crocodile 
— or  any  otlier  'animal —  as  being  the  leviathan. 
The  crocodile  was  always  called  a  crocodile  by 
all  historians.  Neither  have  we  an  instance  in 
which  the  Lord  makes  mention  of  an  animal  b}-- 
any  othei'  name  than  that  which  was  conventional 
among  the  people  He  addressed.  Had  the  Lord 
here  referred  to  a  crocodile,  undoubtedly  He  would 
have  called  him  by  his  well-known  name,  the 
same  as  he  did  when  He  spoke  of  the  horse,  the 
ostrich  and  other  animals  to  which  He  refers  in 
previous  verses  of  this  same"  book.  It  would  not 
necessaril}^  follow  from  this  that,  if  the  Lord  had 
here  intended  to  refer  to  our  modern  steam  engine. 
He  would  have  called  it  by  the  name  which  we 
have,  but  recently,  given  it.     For,  in  such  an  in- 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF  JOB.  I51 

Stance  as  this,  He  would  not  have  been  referring" 
to  an  animal,  nor  to  anything  which  then  existed 
and  had  a  name  already  well  known  in  those 
days. 

Then,  the  name  s/eam  engine,  or,  locomotive^ 
would  have  been  as  much  of  a  mystery  to  the 
people  of  those  days  (if  not  more),  than  the  name  of 
leviathan,  which,  as  I  have  shown,  has,  in  reality, 
the  same  characteristic  meaning,  viz.;  a  monster 
having  a  long  extended  body,  formed  of  various 
parts  linked  together.  We  will  see  in  Psl.  Ixxiv. 
14,  that  the  Lord  is  said  to  give  food  to  the 
leviathan  for  those  who  inhabit  desert  places. 
Surely  this  could  not  apply  to  the  crocodile ;  yet 
it  does,  most  strikingly,  to  our  railroads. 

It  is  said  of  the  leviathan  (ch.  xli.  21)  that 
"his  inhaling  vivifieth  coals  of  fire,  and  a  flame 
goeth  out  of  his  mouth."  Nothing  of  the  kind 
can  be  attributed  to  the  breath  of  au}^  animal, 
and  much  less  to  that  of  a  sleepy  and  slimy 
crocodile.  A  creature's  breath  was  never  known 
to  possess  the  capacity  of  kindling  coals  of  fire. 
But  the  inhaling  of  the  steam  engine — the  draft 
of  air — does  vivify  the  coals  of  fire,  and  a  flame 
does,  very  often,  leap  forth  from  its  throat. 

Again  it  is  evident  that  neither  the  crocodile, 
nor  any  other  animal,  can  be  made  to  extend,  or 
lengthen  out,  in  the  peculiar  manner  indicated  in 
this  first  verse  of  Job,  viz.  :  by  a  hook  or  by 
means  of  a  snare  that  entraps  his  tongue.  Yet 
all  this  is  very  natural  to  our  modern  leviathan. 

As  to  the    hippopotamus,  his    friends    abandor. 


152  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

him  here,  as  he  is  not  found  to  possess  the 
peculiar  powers  nor  the  great  qualities  ascribed 
to  this  monster. 

To  those  who  suppose  that  a  whale  may  be 
here  referred  to,  I  would  say  that  it  seems  less 
probable  than  either  of  the  former.  There  is 
nothing  in  a  whale's  breath  that  can  Jzindle  coals 
of  fire.  Neither  has  it  anything  in  the  shape  of 
scales  or  flakes  which  can  at  all  compare  with 
those  which  are  said  to  cover  the  body  of  the 
leviathan.  Whales  surely  do  not  "  laugh  at  the 
shaking  of  a  spear."  And  their  eyes  are  far  from 
being  "like  the  eyelids  of  the  morning"  (chap, 
xli.  18,  29). 

I  presume  that  the  reader  is  aware  that  we 
have  had  two  enormous  monsters  of  immense 
power,  which  have  born  the  very  name  of  levia- 
than.^ and  which  have  possessed,  to  the  very 
letter,  their  respective  share  of  the  attributes 
which  Job  claims  for  his  leviathan. 

One  of  these  was  the  Great  Eastern,  which  at 
first  bore  the  name  of  Leviathan.  The  other, 
one  of  the  most  powerful  locomotives  ever  built 
for  our  southern  roads.  Thus,  in  reality,  I  am 
referring  to  monsters  already  well  known  among 
us  by  the  name  of  Leviathan ;  which  is  more 
than  commentators  have  been  able  to  show  in 
support  of  their  views. 

This  singular  and  extraordinary  verse  has  now 
an  interesting  signific'^tion  for  us,  as  we  have 
good  reasons  for  supposing  that  Job  referred  to 
nir  modern    fiery  flying  monster  when    he  said : 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  1 53 

"Thou  wilt  exteud  leviathan  with  a  hook,  or 
with  a  snare  which  thou  wilt  cause  his  tongue 
to  press  down." 

We  will  notice  throughout  this  description  that 
the  name  leviathan  is  applied,  either  to  a  long 
train  of  coaches  and  locomotive — as  in  this  in- 
stance— or  to  the.  locomotive  b}^  itself;  or  to  a 
steamboat;  the  context  alone  pointing  out  in 
what  capacit}^  he  is  being  considered,  or  what 
parts  are  being  described. 


154 


A   WONDERFUL    DISCOVKRY 


HIS  CHEEKS  WIEL  BE   PERFORATED  WITH 
A  STAFF. 


D^^nn 

Wilt  thou  place 

Numquid  pones 

(D;|n* 

a  ring,  caldron,  cord 

circulum 

13K3 

in  his  nose, 

in  nari bus  ejus, 

ninrjT 

or  with  a  hook,  staff 

aut  armilla 

Dpn 

-wilt  thou  pierce  through 

perforabis 

I'D'?. 

his  cheeks  ? 

maxillam  ejus? 

"  Canst  thou  put  a  hook  in  his  nose?  Or  bore  his  jaw 
through  with  a  thorn  ? ' ' 

To  those  who  look  upon  this  description  as 
referring  to  some  ferocious  wild  monster,  this 
verse  does  not  present  any  great  difficulties,  on 
account  of  the  various  meanings  which  may  be 
attributed  to  some  of  its  words.  From  my  point 
of  view  of  its  reference,  I  am  only  puzzled  as  to 
a  choice  between  the  mau}^  and  appropriate  ap- 
plications which  I  find  these  same  words  to  have. 

If  the  interrogative  tone  of  this  verse  is  to  be 
Qonsidered  as  equivalent  to  a  denial,  then  our 
translations  would  lead  us  to  understand  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  put  a  hook  or  a  ring 
through  this  monster's  nose,  as  is"  often  done  with 
unruly  beasts ;    or  that  it  would    be   frivolous   to 


IN   THE   BOOK    OF  JOB.  1 55 

attempt  to  put  a  thorn  through  his  jaws  or  gills, 
as  is  commonly  practiced  with  small  fishes.     ' 

If  this  were  the  only  meaning  of  the  oiiginal, 
then  it  could  not  refer  to  a  locomotive,  for  a  ring 
or  a  hook  can  be,  and  is  often,  attached  to  many 
parts  of  the  locomotive,  especially  at  its  ver}^ 
nose.  Then,  again,  it  would  be  hard  to  under- 
stand in  what  sense  it  could  be  said  that  its 
jaws  or  gills  could  not  be  bored  through  with  a 
thorn ;  for  it  could  not  be  properly  predicated  of 
a  locomotive,  nor  of  a  steamship,  for  neither  of 
them  have  anything  like  jaws  or  gills. 

The  word  agernon  ma}^  mean  a  ring^  caldron 
or  a  boiling  kettle^  a  reed,  a  rope  or  a  cord  made 
of  reeds  or  rushes.  The  word  rendered  tJiorn, 
also  means  a  hook  or  a  staff,  or  a  ring.  Some 
suppose  that  by  hook,  is  here  meant  a  bit,  or 
curved  iron.  The  word  rendered  jaws,  has  also 
the  meaning  of  cheeks ;  some  render  gills.  Now 
if  the  original  words  of  this  verse  were  ever  in- 
tended to  have  a  negative  sense,  I  would  prefer 
rendering  thus:  "Wilt  thou  place  a  rope-halter 
over  its  nose?  or  force  a  bit  through  its  jaws?" 
In  this  sense  it  would  mean  that  this  monster 
could  not  be  stopped  or  held  with  a  halter  made  of 
mere  reeds  or  rushes  ;  nor  could  he  be  guided 
by  means  of  a  bit  and  curb,  as  domestic  animals 
are. 

In  its  application  to  our  powerful  and  iron- 
headed  monster,  this  would  be  eminently  ironi- 
cal; for  who  would  think  of  trying  to  hold  him 
with  a  rope  which  he  held    in    his    hands,  or  of 


156         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

trying  to  guide  him  with  a  bit  and  bridle,  like 
a  horse. 

In  order  to  strengthen  their  views,  man}^  writers 
have  gone  to  great  length  to  inform  us  how  the 
hippopotamus  and  the  crocodile  are  caught.  But 
all  their  arguments  fall  to  the  ground  when  one 
seriously  considers  the  meaning  and  reference 
they  attribute  to  this  verse  themselves  ;  for  they 
assure  us  that  it  is  here  meant  that  this  monster 
must  be  one  through  whose  nose  we  cannot  put 
a  ring  or  a  cord  to  hold  him ;  nor  even  can  we 
cause  a  hook  to  penetrate  his  jaws. 

Now  the  fact  is  that  all  this  can  be  easilj'^ 
practiced  with  either  the  hippopotamus  or  the 
crocodile,  the  very  one  which  they  wish  us  to 
accept  as  this  leviathan.  The  crocodile,  specially, 
is  often  caught  with  baited  hooks,  as  almost  any 
such  monsters  can  be.  But  would  it  not  be  ri- 
diculous and  absurd  to  try  to  capture  a  locomo- 
tive or  a  steamship  with  a  baited  hook,  be  the 
bait  ever  so  tempting,  and  Uie  hook  ever  so  sharp? 
Then,  where  is  the  one  who  would  hold  the  line, 
if  he  were  caught?  Thus,  in  this  sense,  this  pas- 
sage has  a  far  more  probable  and  poetic  applica- 
tion to  our  unruly  monster,  than  to  a  compara- 
tively insignificant  crocodile. 

I  believe  that  it  is  on  record  that  some  wild 
Indian  tribes,  wishing  to  assert  their  exclusive 
rights  to  some  western  territory,  through  which 
a  railroad  passed,  decided  to  capture  this  fiery 
monster  by  lassoing  him.  Mounting  their  best 
ponies  they  laid  in  wait  along  the  road.     It  was 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  I57 

not  long  before  they  got  an  opportunity  to  try 
their  skill.  Indeed  a  brave  succeeded  in  fastening 
his  lasso  to  some  part  of  the  locomotive.  But 
imagine  the  result.  His  pony,  to  which  was 
made  fast  one  end  of  the  rope,  acquired,  all  at 
once,  a  speed  which  he  had  never  developed  be- 
fore, and  which  he  never  equaled  afterwards. 
His  prodigious  bounces  through  the  prairie  soon 
unsaddled  his  master  who  was  but  too  glad  to  be 
able  to  join  his  brave  warriors  in  their  precipitate 
flight  to  their  distant  huts.  They  never  wanted  to 
try  again  "to  put  a  halter  over  his  nose." 

Indeed,  it  is  onl}^  in  comparing  the  behemoth 
and  leviathan  to  our  terrible  engine  of  power, 
that  we  can  fully  realize  the  beauty  and  poetry 
of  Job's  description. 

Although,  in  the  above  light,  this  verse  would 
apply  remarkably  well  to  our  locomotive,  yet  I 
am  not  satisfied  that  it  is  the  meaning  intended 
here.  Neither  can  I  look  upon  it  as  having  an 
exclusivel}'  negative  character;  but  rather  an 
affirmative  force,  equivalent  to  a  negative  question, 
as  "Wilt  thou  not  place  a  ring  in  his  nostrils?" 
.  Neither  can  I  see  any  good  reason  for  sup- 
posing, as  some  do,  that  the  leviathan  is  being 
considered  here  as  a  sea  monster.  This  idea  can 
only  be  inferred  from  the  renderings  of  those 
who  suppose  that  such  a  creature  was  here  meant ; 
but  not  from  any  direct  assertion  of  the  original 
words,  nor  from  those  of  the  previous  or  sub- 
sequent verses.  In  fact  the  latter,  when  pro- 
perly understood,  clearly  establish    the    contrary. 


1^6  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

We  have  seeu,  in  the  previous  verse,  that  the 
Lord  began  the  description  of  the  leviathan  by 
calling  Job's  attention  to  the  fact  that  this  mon- 
ster had  a  body  that  was  capable  of  being  ex- 
tended and  lengthened  out.  He  shows  him  that 
this  body  was  formed  of  various  parts  all  linked 
and  coupled  the  one  to  the  other,  as  the  very 
name  He  gave  him,  indicated.  Even  the  manner 
of  coupling  these  various  parts  is  most  minutely 
described.  All  of  which  has  been  shown  to  refer, 
most  conclusively,  to  a  locomotive  and  train  of 
coaches.  Should  we  not  now  expect,  as  a  most 
natural  continuation  of  this  subject,  that,  before 
asking  Job  whether  he  could  put  a  hook  in  his 
nose,  He  would  explain  to  him  some  other  pecu- 
liarities of  this  singular  creature,  such,  for  in- 
stance, as  his  fierce  and  dangerous  nature  ?  For, 
were  he  tame,  this  would  not  be  a  dangerous 
undertaking. 

.  It  is  this  idea  which  leads  me  to  believe  that, 
if  this  verse  were  properly  understood,  we  would 
be  apt  to  find  in  it  a  reference  to  some  other 
natural  and  striking  peculiarities  of  this  coupled 
dragon.  It  is  evident  that  his  nose  and  cheeks 
are  here  spoken  of;  but  so  far  it  has  been  difii- 
■cult  to  ascertain  in  what  connection. 

To  me  the  word  agerno7i^  would  seem  to  con- 
tain the  solution  of  the  problem.  Its  primary 
n\eaning  is  a  boiling  caldron.  This  is  one  of 
the  essential  parts  oi:  pur  own  monster.  Then 
we  will  see  that  this  word  is  made  use  of  in  this 
sense  in  the  twentieth  verse  of  this  same    chap- 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF  JOB.  1 59 

ter,  where  it  is  said  of  this  monster,  "out  of  his 
nostrils  will  issue  forth  smoke,  as  out  of  a  boil- 
iii!^  pot  or  aildro7iy 

Taking  the  word  in  this  sense,  and  the  verse 
as  having  the  force  of  a  negative  question,  we 
would  have  this  singular  revelation,  viz.:  "Wilt 
thou  not  place  a  boiling  caldron  in  his  nose?" 

Referring  to  the  locomotive,  we  are  astonished 
to  discover  how  well  the  word  nose  applies  to 
that  elongated  part  of  the  boiler  which  extends 
to  the  front  of  the  engine.  And  when  we  ex- 
amine closely  into  the  nature  of  this  nose;  we 
find,  indeed,  that  some  one  has  placed  a  boiling 
caldron  in  it ;  in  fact  that  his  nose  is  a  boiling 
caldron.  This  dis.covery  must'  have  been  as 
great  a  surprise  to  the  good  man  Job  as  the  un- 
-expected  revelations  of  this  verse  will,  undoubt- 
edly, be  to  the  reader. 

The  same  words  of  this  passage  disclose  also 
another  ver}-  appropriate  meaning ;  it  is  that 
which  is  also  given  to  them  by  the  Septuagint 
and  the  Vulgate,  and  which  I  believe  to  be  the 
true  one,  viz.,  "Wilt  thou  place  a  ring  in  his 
nostrils  ?  " 

The  nostrils  of  an  animal  are  the  organs 
through  which  he  breathes.  Now  if  we  examine 
our' engine  closely,  we  will  find  on  each  side  of 
his  head,  or  rather  on  each  side  of  his  huge  nose- 
shaped  boiler,  two  large  cylinders,  resembling 
much,  indeed,  from  their  position  and  functions, 
the  nostrils  of  an  animal.  To  these  are  connected 
the  steam-chests.     Upon  further  investigation  we 


l6o         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

find  that  it  is  through  these  double  sets  of  organs 
that  he  emits,  alternately,  his  vaporous  breath 
(steam),  just  as  an  animal  does  in  forcing  his 
breath  from  his  chest  through  his  nostrils.  So 
that  these  C3^1inders  and  their  steam-chests  re- 
semble, indeed,  in  purpose  and  action,  the  nostrils 
and  the  chest  of  a  living  monster.  Therefore 
the  propriety,  in  the  highly  poetical  style  of  this 
description,  in  speaking  of  these  mechanical  organs 
as  the  nostrils  of  this  monster. 

A  further  observation  reveals  to  us  the  fact 
that,  inside  of  these  mechanical  nostrils  is  a  large 
circular  plate  of  iron,  called  a  p'iston.  Around 
the  periphery  of  this  piston  is  one  or  more  expan- 
sive and  self-adjusting  rings,  serving  to  form  an 
air-tight,  yet  movable,  partition  inside  each  cylin- 
der. And  this,  I  conclude,  is  the  ring  which  is 
mentioned  in  this  verse  as  being  placed  in  his 
nostrils.  It  is  possible  that  the  original  word  is 
intended  to  refer  to  the  very  piston  itself,  as  it 
is  mainly  a  ring.  Here,  then,  we  have  a  good 
opportunily  of  judging  of  the  perfect  knowledge 
which  the  revealer  of  this  description  possessed 
of  the  construction  of  the  most  important  parts 
of  the  engine.    - 

As  to  the  second  member  of  this  verse,  we 
find,  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  that  the  word 
(flln)  chocha  means,  primarily,  a  riiig^<\\v^\\  a  hook, 
a  thorn.  I  consider  that  the  word  is  here  intended 
in  the  sense  of  a  crdok,  or  shepherd's  staff;  that 
is,  that  it  was  something  which  resembled,  in 
shape,  a  long    staff,  and    terminated    at    one  end 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  l6l 

with  a  ring  or  hook.  Any  hook,  says  Webster, 
is  a  crook.  The  word  (*n'7)  lecJii  means,  primarily, 
the  check ;  and  it  is  in  this  sense  I  take  it  here. 
As  the  verb  which  occurs  here  means  to  pierce 
through^  we  would  have,  as  the  meaning  of  this 
verse,  "  Wilt  thou  not  place  a  ring  in  his  nostrils, 
or  pierce  through  his  cheeks  with  a  staff?" 

We  have  just  seen,  in  the  first  part  of  this 
verse,  that  the  piston  and  its  packing-rings  were 
referred  to.  Xow,  to  the  centre  of  this  piston 
we  will  find  that  there  is  made  fast  a  long  and 
smooth  iron  rod,  which  passes  through  one  end 
of  the  cylinder,  and  terminates  at  its  exterior 
end  with  a  suitable  connection,  answering  the 
purpose  of  a  hook'  or  ring,  and  by  which  it  is 
made  fast  to  other  parts  of  the  machinery.  In 
this  piston-rod  I  recognize  the  ver}^  instrument 
mentioned  in  this  passage  as  a  staff,  and  which 
is  said  to  perforate,  or  pierce  through,  the  cheeks 
of  the  leviathan.  If  this  be  it,  then  the  cheeks^ 
here  alluded  to,  must  be  the  round  and  convex 
heads  of  the  cylinders  through  which  this  rod 
passes ;  and  by  its  rapid  and  continuous  in-and- 
out  motion,  seems,  indeed,  as  though  it  were  per- 
forating or  piercing  through  these  cheeks.  Hence, 
also,  the  very  appropriate  and  poetical  application 
of  these  words  of  Job. 

We  have  here,  then,  revealed  to  us  the  piston 
and  its  packing-rings ;  the  cylinders  and  their 
perforated  heads ;  and  the  piston-rod  with  itsper- 
forated  knob  at  the  end,  which  gives  it  the 
appearance  of  a  staff,  to  whicli  it  is  here  likened. 


iiJt2 


A    VVONDERFUL    DISCOVKK.V 


HIS  VOICE  IvS  IMPERATIVE  AND  TERRIBI.E. 


^^")^'l 

Will  he  multiply 

NumquiJ  multi 

l''?^ 

unto  thee 

plicabit  ad  te 

D^ji^rjn 

supplications, 

preces, 

■^^VOkV 

or  will  he  utter  (speak) 

aut loquetur 

^'5*"^ 

unto  thee 

tibi 

:  niD-) 

soft  toue^? 

mollia  ? 

"Will  he  make  many  supplications  unto  thee?     Will  he 
•speak  soft  words  unto  thee?" 


All  versions  seem  to  agree  iu  their  translations 
of  this  verse.  But  many  expositors  vary  in  their 
application  of  its  meaning. 

Barnes  says :  "  The  idea  is  that  the  animal 
here  referred  to  would  not  tamely  submit  to  his 
captor,  nor  plead  for  his  life  in  tones  of  tender 
and  plaintive  supplication." 

In  reference  to  this  view  of  it,  I  would  say 
that  there  is  nothing  mentioned  in  this  verse, 
nor  in  any  other,  that  would  go  to  prove  that 
this  monster  was  ev^  captured.  On  the  contrary, 
he  is  represented  everywhere  as  unconquerable 
and  invulnerable.  We  have  just  seen  that,  in 
one  sense  of  the  passage,  ane  cannot  put  a  haltei 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  1 63 

over  his  nose,  nor  fasten  anything  to  his  jaw. 
Subsequent  passages,  as  you  will  notice,  are  still 
more  emphatic  in  this  declaration.  We  read  in 
the  ninth  and  tenth  verses  of  the  present  chapter 
that  ''one  shall  be  cast  down  even  at  the  sight 
ot"  him;"  and  that  "none  is  so  brave  that  dare 
stir  him  up." 

The  opinion  of  Prof.  Lee  is  that  the  dolohinus 
orca  communis,  or  common  grampus,  is  the 
animal  more  particularly  had  in  view,  and  that 
allusion  is  here  made  to  the  well-know  cries  of 
this  animal  when  captured.  Here,  again,  I  would 
insist  that  no  such  inference  can  be  drawn  from 
the  passage  before  us.  The  dolphin,  according 
to  Prof.  Lee's  own  account,  cries  and  carries  on 
)yiost  pileoHsly  when  he  or  his  mate  is  captured. 
These  are  surely  soft  and  pleading  tones,  whilst 
the  interrogative  character  of  this  verse  indicates 
that  exactly  the  contrary  will  be  the  case  with 
the  leviathan ;  he  will  not  use  many  supplica- 
tions toward  thee,  nor  will  his  utterances  be  soft 
or  plaintive.  Moreover,  the  dolphin  can  be,  and 
is,  caught  by  hooks  and  cords,  whilst  we  are  told 
that  the  leviathan  cannot  be  taken  by  such 
means. 

Adam  Clarke,  recognizing  the  difficulty  there 
was  in  appl3'ing  the  full  force  of  these  passages 
to  au}^  known  animal,  prudenth'  remarks  that 
there  are  several  allusions  in  these  verses  to 
matters  of  which  one  could  know  but  very  little. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  most  natural  and  only 
inference    to    be    drawn,    both    from    the   negative 


164  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

character  of  this  verse  and  from  the  words  them- 
selves, is  that  this  monster  will  not  often  repeat  his 
warnings  or  supplications,  nor  will  he  make  use 
of  soft  tones  in  doing  so ;  in  other  words,  his 
warnings  will  be  few  and  uttered  in  terrific  tones. 
These  cannot  be  taken  in  any  other  sense  than 
warnings  of  danger  to  those  who  would  not  heed 
his  presence  or  his  approach.  Isaiah  informs  ns 
(chap,  xxvii.  i)  that  this  leviathan  was  a  "swift- 
fleeing  serpent,  turning  himself  rapidly,  and  con- 
tinually in  motion."  Undoubtedly .  it  is  from 
these  facts  that  this  monster  has  neither  time 
nor  disposition  to  stop  and  argue  with  you  to 
please  get  out  of  his  \vay ;  a  few  terrific  utter- 
ances is  all  the  warning  yon  vv^ill  get ;  then,  woe 
to  him  who  does  not  heed  them.  And,  from  this, 
what  could  one  surmise  would  happen  ?  Why, 
evidently  that  this  fiery  monster,  in  his  precipi- 
tate flight  from  one  place  to  another,  would 
ci-ush  and  trample  under  him  all  that  did  not 
get  out  of  his  way  after  a  few  sharp  and  terrific 
warnings. 

And  how  would  this  beautiful  passage  agree 
with  the  well-known  peculiarities  of  our  steam- 
ing monster,  the  locomotive,  and  its  terrific  powers 
of  utterance  made  specially  to  give  warnings  of 
his  approach  ?  When  he  is  at  full  rage  on  his 
way,  does  he  stop  to  make  niau}^  stipplications 
to  you  /o  please  get  out  of  his  path  ?  A  terrific 
and  imperative  blast  '^of  his  breath  is  the  only 
warning  he  gives,  as  he  rushes  on  with  light- 
ning  speed,  crushing  and  tearing  to  pieces  those 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  165 

who  have  not  heeded  his  voice.  He  is  a  heart- 
less monster,  with  iron  ribs  and  flanks.  His 
blood  is  a  boiling  steam  ;  his  food,  coals  of  fire. 
His  breath  of  life,  a  devouring  flame.  His  eye, 
a  stream  of  light.  His  mane,  thick  clouds  of 
smoke  and  sparks  of  fire.  The  earth  and  the  sea 
tremble  at  his  approach,  and  the  very  heavens 
murmur  at  the  terrific  utterance  of ,  his  voice. 
From  before  him  flee  in  dismay  the  wild  beasts 
of  the  forests.  Yea,  the  hippopotamus  and  the 
crocodile  are  terrified  at  his  presence  and  hasten 
away  as  he  boldly  invades  their  ancient  domains 
and  chases  them  from  their  marsh}^  lairs  in  the 
midst  of  the  reeds  and    fens. 

Behold,  our  leviathan  looks  upon  all  these  mon- 
sters as  small  birds.  Indeed  he  often  carries  them 
about  in  a  cage  for  the  pleasure  of  the  children 
on  his  way.  He  fills  his  coils  with  the  largest 
of  them  with  as  much  ease  and  indifference  as 
a  huge  serpent  when  feeding  on  the  small  lizards 
and  frogs  of  a  pond. 

My  conclusion  is  obvious.  None  of  the  mon- 
sters proposed  up  to  this  day  can  ever  fulfill,  as 
completely,  the  requisites  of  this  and  other  pass- 
ages of  this  sublime  description,  as  our  modern 
monster  of  power. 

Stand  before  him  and  see  if  he  will  stop  to 
make  repeated  supplications  unto  thee,  in  soft 
and  pleading  tones. 


i66 


A    WONDKKt'UL    DlbCOVKKY 


HE  IS  TREACHEROUS  AND  NOT  TO  BE 
RELIED  ON. 


Verse  4. 


^"??*0 

Will  he  make 

Nunquid  feriet 

n'^3 

a  covenant  (agreement) 

pactum 

W 

with  thee 

tecum, 

i:;npri 

that  thou  inayest  take  him 

et  accipies  eum 

ny^^. 

for  a  servant 

servum 

:  D'?ir 

for  ever,  or,  everlasting  ? 

sempiternum  ? 

' '  Will  he  make  a  covenant  with  thee  ?  Wilt   thou  take 

him  for  a  servant  forever  ?  " 


.The  true  reference  of  the  above  verse  could 
not  have  been  understood  by  those  writers  who 
believed  that  a  whale  or  a  crocodile  was  here 
meant. 

Barnes  and  others  suppose  this  verse  to  mean 
that  the  animal  referred  to  could  not  be  reduced 
to  service,  that  is,  could  not  be  tamed  or  ren- 
dered reliable,  or  reduced  to  domestic  use,  such 
for  instance  as  the  crocodile  and  the.  hippopota- 
mlis.  As  to  the  latter,  it  is  a  well-known  fact 
that,  if  taken  when  young,  it  can  be  tamed  and 
rendered  quite  docile,  as  has  been  repeatedl}^ 
noticed  in  our  travelling  menageries,  although  he 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  167 

cannot  be  made  very  serviceable  for  dgmestic  pur- 
poses. 

But  let  us  examine  more  closely  into  the  con- 
struction of  this  verse  and  see  if  it  be  not  pos- 
sible to  render  its  meaning  somewhat  more  intelli- 
gible, for  there  seems  to  me  to  be  a  discrepancy 
somewhere. 

The  question  as  it  stands,  "  Will  lie  make  a 
covenant  with  thee  ?  "  cannot  be  considered  as 
adding  to  or  detracting  from  his  power.  If  it  means 
anything  it  is  that  he  is'Jcapable  of  making  a 
covenant.  And,  surely,  it  could  not  be  supposed 
that  he  could,  any  more  than  other  monsters  of 
the  same  nature.  Then,  again,  one  is  at  a  loss 
to  know  what  kind  of  a  covenant  can  be  meant. 

To  explain  these  difficulties  and  to  make  sense 
of  this  first  hemistich,  I  find  that  it  is  necessary 
to  connect  it  closely  with  the  second,  instead  of 
dividing  it  as  usual.  Thus,  the  agreement  or 
convenant  with  this  monster  seems  incapable  of 
making  or  keeping,  would  refer  to  the  binding 
of  himself  as  a  trustworthy  servant  at  all  times. 

In  writing  the  two  hemistiches  of  this  verse 
into  one  sentence,  we  would  have  the  following : 
"  Will  he  make  a  covenant  with  thee  that  thou 
mayest  take  him  for  a  servant  forever?"  Thus 
the  whole  verse  becomes  quite  intelligible, 
and  at  once  we  can  clearly  see  that  this  covenant 
refers  to  the  possibility  or  impossibility  of  so 
binding  this  monster  that  he  should  become  a 
trustworthy  servant  at  all  times,  or,  forever. 

Taking  this  passage    in    its    negative  sense,  it 


1 68  A   WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

evidently  means  that  this  monster  will  not  bind 
himself  (or,  that  one  cannot  bind  him)  to  serve 
him  faithfnlly  forever. 

It  must  also  be  inferred  from  this,  that  this  levia- 
than is  of  a  dangerous  and  treacherous  nature,  thai 
he  cannot  be  relied  on  at  all  times  as  a  faithful 
servant.  From  this  very  fact  arises,  undoubtedly, 
the  impossibility  of  his  making  a  covenant  to 
serve  faithfully  forever.  Then  again  it  clearly 
indicates  that  he  will  be  made  a  servant  of, 
but  not  such  that  be  can  be  relied  on  at  all 
times.  If  he  could  not  be  made  a  servant 
of  at  alf  wh}^  should  it  be  said  that  he  cannot 
be  taken  for  a  servant  forever,  coiiti7iually ;  for 
the  latter  certainly  implies  that  he  could  be  taken 
for  a  servant  for  a  ti'me^  but  not  forever.  What 
a  mysterious  creature.  No  wonder  that  he  has 
remained  so  long  unknown.  Let  us  see  if  this 
verse  also,  could  not  apply  to  our  powerful  ser- 
vant, the  steam  engine.  It  is  well  known  that 
he  cannot  be  trusted  at  all  times,  nor  forever. 
He  becomes  very  treacherous  when  the  fireman 
excites  him  up  to  his  full  rage.  At  times,  with- 
out the  least  warning,  he  will  burst  the  strongest 
bonds  and  scatter  death  and  devastation  around 
him.  He  is  indeed  a  most  useful  servant,  but 
he  must  be  continually  watched.  He  cannot  be 
trusted  out  of  the  hands  of  his  keepers. 

Because  he  has  an  iron  constitution  one  must 
not  suppose  that  he  wall  make  of  him  a  servant 
everlasting,  "  servum  sempiternum;"  for  in  a  short 
time  the  strength  of  his  iron  shields  will  weaken, 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  169 

yet  not  so  with  his  treacherous  rage  always  in- 
creasing and  alwa3's  threatening  to  tear  his  flanks 
to  pieces. 

Job  undoubtedly  understood  by  visions,  what 
we  have  learned  by  experience,  viz.,  that  this 
powerful  servant,  although  seemingly  indestructi- 
ble, soon  goes  to.  destruction  and  sometimes  m  a 
terrible  manner,  and  therefore  is,  indeed,  neither 
a  reliable  servant  nor   one    that  can  last  forever. 

Another  very  poetic  idea  may  be  inferred  from 
the  words  of  Job,  viz.,  "  Has  he  made  a  covenant 
with  thee  that  thou  shouldest  bind  him  to  serve 
continually,  forever?  Wilt  thou  not  allow  him 
to  rest  or  to  gambol  and  roam  about  at  leisure 
for  a  while?"  This,  not  altogether  improbable 
meaning  of  this  passage,  would  indicate  the  exact 
nature  of  our  modern  monster,  who  is  often  made 
to  work  night  and  day  without  rest,  as  though 
be  had  made  an  agreement  to  do  so.  Then,  on 
account  of  his  nature,  he  certainly  cannot  be  al- 
lowed to  skip  or  roam  about  at  leisure ;  although 
we  have,  recently,  heard  of  some  rujiazvay  engines. 

In  all  truth,  then,  can  it  be  said  of  our  modern 
leviathan  that,  although  he  is  a  ver}'  good  ser- 
vant, yet  we  cannot  so  bind  hiui^  either  b}^  agree- 
7nent  or  by  force,  that  he  may  be  alwa^^s,  and  at 
all  times,  a  faithful  and  trust-worthy  servant. 


A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 


HE  CANNOT  BE  HANDLED  AS  A  PLAYTHING. 


Voree  6. 


iJi'iirpni 


Wilt  thou  play  with  him 
as  a  little  bird, 
or  wilt  thou  bind  him 
to  thy  maidens  ? 


Numquid  illudes 
ei  quasi  avi, 
aut  ligabis  eum 
ancillis  tuis  ? 


' '  Wilt  thou  play  with  him  as  a  bird  ?  Or  wilt  thou  bind 
him  for  thy  maidens?  " 

It  is  easil}^  seen  that  tlie  interrogative  tone 
of  this  verse  is  intended  to  be  taken  in  a  nega- 
tive sense,  implying  that  this  leviathan  cannot 
be  handled  carelessly  as  a  plaything;  nor  en- 
trusted to  weak  and  unskilled  hands. 

The  Septuagint  add  the  word  sparrozv^  in  the 
second  member  of  the  verse,  making  it  read: 
"Wilt  thou  bind  him  as  a  sparrow  for  a  babe."^ 
I  look  upon  the  expression  to  bind  as  meaning 
here,  first  to  iame^  extending  its  reference  to  any 
animal  which  can  be  tamed  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  can  be  entrusted  to  children  to  play  with. 

Many  dangerous  creatures  can  be^  bound,  al- 
though they  cannot  be  made  a  safe  plaything 
for  children.  Therefbre  I  do  not  understand  the 
above  to  mean  that  this  powerful  monster  could 
not  be  bound    at    all;  but    rather    that    he  could 


IN    THE    BOOK    OK   JOB.  I7I 

not  be  tamed  or  placed  sufficiently  under  con- 
trol to  be  entrusted  to  children  as  a  plaything. 
We  have  seen  in  the  previous  verse  that  he 
could  be  bound  as  a  servant. 

Secondly,  this  binding  of  him  for,  or  to,  the 
maidens,  ma}^  be  taken  in  the  sense  of  harnessing 
liim.  as  one  would  harness  a  gentle  horse  for 
children  to  sport  with.  Or  as  a  plaything  wadr 
fast  to  a  child. 

To  bind  horses  to  a  chariot,  is  a  wcll-kiiovvii 
Biblical  expression.  In  the  thirty-third  verse  of 
the  present  chapter  the  Septuagint  express  the 
the  idea  that  this  leviathan  was  made  to  be 
sported  with  b}^  the  angels.  Then  certainly  he 
would  have  to  be  bound  in  some  way.  By  angels 
may  be  meant  messengers  of  God  here  on  earth. 
As  the  writer  is  describing  the  most  terrible  and 
most  powerful  monster  on  earth,  one  that  is  called 
the  "  king  over  all  conceptions  of  power,"  as  will 
be  seen  in  the  last  verse,  we  can  appreciate  the 
poetry  and  irony  of  the  question  put  to  Job,  whether 
he  thought  that  such  a  monster  could  be  played 
with,  as  a  child  would  with  a  small  bird;  or  if  he 
could  be  safel}'  harnessed  for  the  sport  of  children. 

The  French  version  expresses  here  the  very 
genius  of  the  original,  it  has :  "  T'en  jouras-tu 
comme  d'un  petit  oiseau?  et  I'attacheras-tu  pour 
tes  jeunes  filles  ?  " 

Barnes  sees  great  force  in  the  words  of  Job,  on 
the  supposition  that  the  crocodile  is  intended. 

"  Nothing,"  says  he,  "  could  be  more  incongru- 
ous than   the  idea  of  securing  so  rough  and  un* 


172  A    WONDERT-UL    DISCOVERY 

sightly  a  monster    for  the  amusement  of   tender 
and  delicate  females." 

Had  the  above  learned  author  suspected  that 
a  full-fledged  steam  locomotive,  weighing  from 
sixty  to  seventy  thousand  pounds,  and  carrying 
within  his  flanks  a  most  terribly  explosive  force, 
was  intended,  would  he  not  have  seen  a  greater 
force  in  the  above  question  ?  And  especially  when 
the  handling  of  intricate  and  ponderous  machinery 
is  included  ;  which  is  a  thing  so  peculiarl}^  foreign 
to  the  inclination  and  capacit}^  of  females.  Indeed, 
this  verse  can  apply  to  no  monster  more  danger- 
ous or  more  untamable  than  our  modern  steam 
dragon  which,  at  times,  neither  iron  nor  steel  can 
hold.  What  a  pretty  bird  one  of  our  fiery  loco- 
motives would  make  for  a  cage ;  and  then  he 
utters  such  soft  notes.  I  fear,  indeed,  that  Job's 
maidens  would  not  fancy  him  for  a  pet. 

I  have  already  expressed  the  opinion,  at  the 
beginning  of  this  work,  that  the  Lord  does  not, 
in  this  description,  address  himself  exclusively  to 
Job,  but,  through  him,  to  all  mankind ;  and  this 
seems  to  be  clearl}^  established  here,  from  the 
fact  that  Job  had  lost  all  his  sons  and  daughters 
at  the  time  the  Lord  thus  addressed  him,  saying  : 
"  Wilt  thou  bind  him  for  thy  maidens?" 

These  words  would  then  be  intended  in  the 
sense  of,  "  Will  man  bind  him  for  his  ^maidens  ?  " 
Taken  in  this  light,  it  does  not  become  necessary 
to  suppose,  as  some  ^^^riters  do,  that  this  monster 
must  have  existed  during  the  days  of  Job  and  in 
his  immediate  neighborhood. 


IN    THE    BOOK    Ol'"   JOU. 


SPECULATORS  WILL  FEAST  UPON  HIM. 

Verse  Q 


They  will  feast 

upon  him 

companies  of  friends,  partners  ; 

They  will  divide,  or,  share  him, 

among 

speculators, — traders  (Cauaanites) 


Concidenl 
eum 
amici  ? 
divident 
ilium 
negotiatores  ? 


"  Shall  thy  companions  make  a  banquet  of  him  ?  Sliall 
they  part  him  among  the  merchants  ? ' ' 

This  is  considered  one  of  the  vexed  passages, 
a  veritable  "  pons  asinornm."  Yet  this  does  not 
arise  from  any  great  difficulty  in  ascertaining 
the  meaning  of  the  original  words,  but  rather 
from  the  difficulty  which  translators  and  com- 
mentators have  had  to  battle  against,  in  making 
these  words  agree  with  their  own  ideas.  There 
have  been  various  renderings  and  speculations 
concerning  the  true  meaning  of  this  verse,  and 
no  two  seem  to  agree. 

The  Vulgate,  the  Septuagint  and  our  English 
versions  differ  widely  in  their  renderings.  The 
Vulgate  has :  "  Will  friends  carve  him  ?  Will 
merchants  divide  him?"     The  vSeptuagint  have: 


1/4  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

''  Do  tlie  people  feed  upon  hiin  ?  Will  the  na- 
tions of  the  Phenicians  share  him  ?  " 

Several  French  translations  render  :  "  Des  amis 
se  regaleront  ils  de  sa  chair  ?  Sera-t-il  partage 
entre  les  marchands  ?  " 

Prof.  Lee  has  the  following :  "  Will  the  com- 
panies bargain  over  him  ?  Will  they  divide  him 
among  the   merchants  ?  " 

Pie  explains  by  saying  that  the  Hebrew  word 
meaning  io  bargain  is  often  taken  in  the  sense 
of  digging  ;  and  as  bargains  were  usually  ratified 
b}^  slaughtering  and  feasting  upon  animals — 
hiring,  bargaining,  and  the  like,  have  become  part 
of  its  significations. 

Umbreit  has  seized  the  idea  of  the  original  far 
better  than  the  above ;  he  renders  it :  "Do  part- 
ners in  trade  purchase  hiift  ?  Is  he  divided  among 
the  Canaanites  ?  " 

He  explains  by  saying  that,  althotigh  (H'lD) 
karah,  is  usually  taken  to  signify  feasting,  yet  it 
is  here  used  with  greater  propriety  to  mean  to 
buy,  as  in  Dent.  ii.  6 ;  Hos.  iii.  2,  and  that  the 
expression  Canaan  if  es  is  here  put  for  merchants 
in  general. 

Barnes,  in  explanation  of  this  passage,  says  : 
"The  word  rendered  thy  companions  means  pro- 
perh-  those  joined  or  associated  together  for  any 
purpose,  whether  for  friendship  or  for  business. 
It  ma}-  refer  here  either  to  those  associated  for 
the  purpose  of  fishiiig  or  feasting. 

Further  on  the  same  writer  says  :  "  The  ma- 
jority of  versions  incline  to  the  idea  that  it  refers 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF   JOB.  1 75 

to  a  feast,  and  means  that  those  associated  for 
eating  do  not  make  a  part  of  their  entertainment 
of  him." 

Is  it  not  to  be  looked  upon  as  very  singular 
that,  according  to  the  above  statement,  the  ma- 
jority of  versions  entertain  the  idea  that  the 
monster  referred  to,  could  not  be  eaten  ?  The 
original  Hebrew  does  not  convey,  di-rectly,  this 
idea ;  but  the  interrogative  turn  given  to  it  by 
most  versions — and  of  which  it  is  susceptible — 
leads  us  to  understand  that,  in  one  sense,  it  could 
not  be  shared  or  divided  among  friends  as  a  thing 
to  be  eaten  ;  or  so  parted  that  it  might  be  retailed 
out  to  customers. 

From  my  view.?  of  the  reference  of  this  pro- 
phetic description,  I  am  far  from  objecting  to  the 
above  interpretations  ;  for,  indeed,  my  leviathan 
cannot  be  cut  up  and  feasted  upon  b}-  friends 
associated  for  a  banquet ;  neither  can  butchers 
divide  him  for  their  customers  ;  for  his  bod}-  is 
formed  of  iron  plates  welded  together,  and  his  bones 
are  bars  of  iron.  So  that,  in  this  sense,  those  who 
suppose  that  this  monster  could  be  carved  out,  or 
used  for  food,  are  very  much  mistaken. 

Taking  this  leviathan  as  referring  to  a  locomo- 
tive, one  can  appreciate  the  full  force  and  poetry 
of  the  question,  whether  people  would  think  that 
they  could  feast  on  such  a  monster,  or  divide 
and  retail  him  among  the  merchants.  Still  I 
look  upon  this  verse  as  having  a  far  more  extra- 
ordinary meaning  hidden  within  it,  and  that  it 
is  its  primary  meaning. 


176  A    WONDERFUL    DLSCOVERY 

In  the  first  place  the  original  does  not  read 
interrogativel}^,  but    in    a    plain    affirmative  tone. 

Second.  I  consider,  that  the  word  rendered  com- 
panions, friends^  should  be  translated  paj'tners, 
companies. 

Third.  That  the  word  rendered  to  cut,  to  make 
a  hanquei,  to  feed  upon,  etc.,  means  here  to  share, 
to  divide. 

Fourth.  That  the  name  Canaanite  is  a  well- 
known  synonyme  for  traders,  speculators,  and 
should  be  so  rendered. 

By  referring  to  the  original  Hebrew  quoted  at 
the  beginning,  you  will  notice  that  it  does  not 
read  thy  companions,  but  simply  companions,  or 
rather  partners,  companies.  Neither  is  it  there 
stated  that  merchants,  or  speculators,  will  divide 
him  among  themselves ;  but  that  the  above-men- 
tioned partners,  or  companies,  will  divide  him 
among  the  merchants,  or  traders. 

"  Therefore  the  primary  meaning  of  this  verse 
is,  "  Companies,  (or  partners)  will  feast  upon  him; 
they  will  divide  (or  share)  him  among  the 
traders  (speculators)." 

How  is  this  for  our  modern  Railroad  Compa- 
nies ;  and  our  Railroad  Stock  Speculators  ?  They 
feast  on  our  great  leviathan ;  yea,  they  grow  fat 
on  him,  yet  they  do  not  eat  him.  Partners  and 
circles  of  friends  purchase  him  and  sJiare  kim 
out  among  traders  and  speculators,  yet  they  do 
not  cut  liijn  up.  Are*^  not  these  the  very  ideas 
claimed  to  be  conveyed  by  the  original,  and  which 
have  so  puzzled  our  learned  exponents  ? 


IN    THE  BOOK    OF  JOB.  177 

What  a  foresight !  Over  three  thousand  years 
ago,  our  railroad  magnates  and  their  partners, 
and  our  stock  speculators,  were  seen  feasting  on 
the  leviathan.  It  strikes  me  that  this  must  be 
the  fulfillment  of  the  old  traditional  feast  of  the 
Jews.  It  was  to  occur  in  the  latter  daj's,  when 
the  children  of  Israel  were  to  feast  on  the  levia- 
than and  share  him  among  themselves.  -Decidedh^, 
they  form,  this  day,  a  majority  of  the  Canaanites, 
here  referred  to.  It  would  seem  as  though  their 
old  and  incomprehensible  tradition  was  now  be- 
ing visibly  fulfilled  before  our  eyes. 

I  cannot  close  this  chapter  without  a  few  re- 
marks on  the  peculiar  rendering  of  the  Septua- 
gint.  As  you  will-  notice,  they  were  far  from 
considering  that  the  Lord  here  addressed  bis 
remarks  to  Job  individually,  or  to  his  friends, 
but  rather  to  men  in  general,  or  to  nations  at 
large.  They  render,  ''Do  the  people  feast  upon 
him ?  "and  not,  " Shall  thy  companions  make  a  feast 
of  him  ?  "  Their  rendering  of  the  second  hem- 
stich  is  as  remarkable  as  the  first.  They  say : 
"  Will  the  nations  of  the  Phenicians  share  him  ?  " 

It  would  seem  from  this  that  they  understood, 
either  by  tradition  or  by  some  ancient  manu- 
scripts, that  this  creature  of  great  power  would 
be  known  among  all  nations,  and  not  only  by  a 
few  tribes  that  might  inhabit  a  certain  country 
where  some  such  ferocious  beast  might  be  found. 
By  "  nations  of  the  Phenicians,"  must  here  be 
meant  not  only  the  Phenicians  of  those  days,  but 
the  trading  nations  in  general.     I  would  conclude 


1 78  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

that  the  Septuagiut  understood,  to  a  great  extent, 
to  what  this  description  referred.  Their  render- 
ings of  other  verses,  which  follow,  most  conclu- 
sively prove  this. 

I  will  leave  to  others  the  task  of  applying  the 
plain  original  words  of  this  verse  to  any  animal, 
with  as  much  force  and  truth  as  it  applies  to  our 
modern  steam  engine,  our  railroad  companies  and 
speculators. 

This  beautiful  and  prophetic  Hebrew  verse 
deserves  a  prominent  place  in  the  palaces  of  our 
Railroad  Companies,  and  specially  in  the  escut- 
cheon of  our  Railroad  Magnates.  And  Job  should 
have  a  monument  in  this  great  land  of  the  levi- 
athans and  Canaanites. 

In  our  days  we  can  fully  appreciate  what  Job 
meant  when  he  said : 

' '  Companies  will  feast  upon  him  ; 
They  will  share  him  among  speculators." 


V 


IX    THK    BOOK    OF  JOB. 


79 


THE  LEVIATHAN'S  BODY  IS   FILLED  WITH 
BOOTHS. 


K'jwn 

Wilt  thou  not  fill 

Nuniquid  implebis 

niDC^a 

nl3p3  with  booths 

sageuas 

^^^:; 

his  skin. 

pelle  ejus, 

'^p"^^"^ 

and  with  a  cabin 

et  gurgustium 

^  °y? 

D^JIII  of  fishermen 

piscium 

:  Wif) 

his  head  ? 

capita  illius  ? 

Canst  thou  fill  his  skin  with  barbed  irons  ? 
Or  his  head  with  fish-spears  ? ' ' 


I  AM  not  astonished  at  the  various  and  con- 
flicting renderings  we  have  of  this  verse.  In- 
deed, I  must  say  that,  after  having  spent  much 
time  on  it  myself,  and  taken  ever^^  conceivable 
view  of  it  and  of  the  various  possible  meanings 
of  each  word,  I  am  forced  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  is  something  wrong  with  our  present  He- 
brew text.  According  to  most  of  our  English 
versions,  it  reads : 

"Canst  thou  fill  his  skin  with  barbed  irons? 
Or  his  head  with  fish-spears  ? 

As  you  will  notice,  it  is  not  the  dody  of  this 
monster  which  seems  to  be  here  in  question,  nor 
his  shields,  but  /it's  skin.     It  would  appear  also  as 


l8o        A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

though  it  were  the  intention  of  the  writer  to  have 
us  consider  this  as  something  separate  from  the 
main  body,  even  as  separate  from  the  head,  to  which 
he  refers  afterwards.  I  could  not  agree  to  the  sup- 
position that  here  a  part  is  put  for  the  whole ; 
for,  in  an  exceptional  case  as  this,  there  would  be 
great  danger  of  leading  the  reader  into  error.  If 
the  entire  animal  had  been  meant,  the  use  of  the 
word  body^  would  have  answered  all  purposes. 

In  reading  over  this  verse,  it  occurs  to  me  that, 
if  the  original  had  been  intended  to  convey  the 
idea  that  this  monster  was  invulnerable,  and 
that,  consequently,  not  a  single  spear  could  be 
made  to  penetrate  his  body,  that  it  would  not  be 
asked  if  his  skin  could  be  filled  with  them. 
Then,  this  would  seem  to  imply  that,  although 
one  might  put  two  or  three  spears  in  his  body, 
yet  it  could  not  be  literally  filled  with  them. 
There  could  be  no  sense  in  this  ;  for  if  one  spear, 
or  harpoon,  could  be  made  to  penetrate  his  shield, 
logically  speaking,  a  great  number  could  be  made 
to  do  the  same.  Yet  there  is  no  doubt  but  that 
the  original  means  "  Canst  thou  fill  his  skin  ?" 
But  with  what  ?  Some  render  the  original  word 
by  barbed  irons;,  spears ;  others  by  arrows.  The 
Vulgate  by  nefs.  The  Septuagint  seem  to  think 
that  it  refers  to  a  whole  fleet  of  small  vessels  ; 
and  that  it  is  the  skin  of  this  monster's  tail  that 
is  here  referred  to.  Undoubtedly  the  word  (Hl^t}') 
souccoih^  rendered  spmrs^  has  not  a  very  intelligi- 
ble meaning  in  the  connection  and  in  the  form 
in  which  it  now  stands. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  l8l 

I  am  also  puzzled  to  understand  the  reason 
why  it  should  be  asked,  in  the  second  henisti'ch, 
whether  this  monster's  head  could  be  equally 
filled,  not  with  barbed  irons  or  pointed  irons,  as 
the  other  part  of  his  body,  but  with  a  different 
kind  of  instrument,  rendered  here  fish-spears. 

Can  it  be  supposed  that  it  was  necessary  and 
customary,  in  those  days,  to  have  twd  kinds  of 
spears  to  kill  such  monsters.  One  to  be  used 
specially  in  penetrating  the  body,  and  the  other 
to  serve  exclusively  to  penetrate  the  head  ?  ,  This 
is  very  doubtful.  Although  it  may  be  claimed 
to  be  but  a  parallelism  between  the  two  members 
of  this  verse,  yet  I  look  upon  the  latter  as  being 
a  forced  rendering'  for  the  very  purpose  of  mak- 
ing it  appear  as  a  parallel  to  the  former ;  for 
there  is  no  good  authority  for  rendering  ('7K'?V) 
tslatsal^  by  spears  or  harpoons.  Nowhere  in  the 
Bible  has  it  been  used  in  the  sense  of  a  weapon 
or  instrument  of  destruction.  Although,  we  may 
admit,  some  of  the  derivatives  of  ('^'?V)  tsalal^ 
have  been  used  to  denote  certain  musical  instru- 
ments, such  as  cymbals,  etc.,  from  the  fact  that 
one  of  the  roots  of  the  word  means  to  tinkle,  to 
ring ;  denoting,  in  this  instance,  the  very  nattire 
of  a  musical  instrument,  but  not  applicable  to  an 
instrument  of  destruction ;  the  latter  generally 
deriving  its  name  from  a  root  denoting,  not  only 
its  nature  but  also  some  of  its  most  prominent 
peculiarities  as  a  weapon,  such  as  that  of  being 
sharps  pointed.,  etc.  I  have  never  seen  a  fish-spear 
that  might  be  said  to  ring,  to  tink/e.     And  I  do 


1 82  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

not  believe  that  the  rude  instruments  of  primi- 
tive ages,  generally  made  of  flint,  wood  or  rough 
pieces  of  metal,  had  much  ring  or  tinkle  to  them. 
Moreover,  as  the  word  is  in  the  singular  number 
the  proper  rendering  would  be  a  spear  of  fishes ; 
which,  of  itself  condemns  that  interpretation  of 
the  word. 

The  Vulgate  has,  with  far  more  propriety, 
rendered  cabm ;  deriving  this  meaning  from  ('?V) 
isel^  meaning  shade;  hence  a  shelter^  a  cabin.  Yet 
who  will  explain  to  us  the  strange  meaning  of 
the  Latin  version  of  this  passage?  It  has  :  "Wilt 
thou  fill  nets  with  his  skin  ?  and  the  cabin  of 
fishes  with  his  head  ?  "  From  the  negative  tone 
given  to  this  verse  by  its  being  in  the  interrog- 
ative, it  must  be  inferred  to  mean,  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  put  his  hide  in  fishermen's  nets, 
or  his  head  in  a  cabin  made  to  keep  fishes. 
But,  again,  what  sense  would  there  be  in  this  ? 
Did  the  ancients  ever  make  it  a  practice  to  fill 
their  nets  with  the  skins  of  fishes  ?  And  was  it 
customary  with  fishermen  in  those  days  to  cut 
off  the  heads  of  the  fishes  they  caught  and  put 
them  (the  heads)  into  cabins  ?  Evidently  the 
original  words  were  never  intended  to  be  taken 
in  this  sense.  Yet,  it  appears  to  me,  from  my 
point  of  view  of  the  reference  of  this  description, 
that  the  Vulgate's  rendering  contains  valuable 
suggestions  as  to  the  proper  meaning  of  this 
difficult  passage,  as"  I  will  explain  hereafter. 
Commentators,  in  general,  suppose  that  reference 
is  had  here  to  the  thickness  and  impenetrability 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  1 83 

of  this  monster's  hide,  which  neither  sharp-pointed 
irons  nor  spears  could  penetrate.  Bnt,  this  fact  is 
asserted  so  often  throughout  this  description,  and 
in  such  various  and  unequivocal  terms,  that  I 
cannot  see  the  use  nor  the  probability  of  its  be- 
ing referred  to  here  in  such  a  doubtful  phrase- 
ology. 

Might  not  some  of  the  difficulty  'have  been 
caused  by  changing  the  originally  affirmative  tone 
of  this  verse  into  the  interrogative,  giving  it, 
thereby,  a  negative  character  which  it  should  not 
have  ?  This  could  have  been  skilfully  accom- 
plished b\'  the  simple  addition  of  the  present 
prefix  (H)  he.  to  the  original  fut.  Kal  (N'T'DH) 
thiila^  thou  wilt  ftlL  Thus,  instead  of  "  wilt  thou 
fill?"  it  might  have  read  originally  "Thou  wilt 
fill  his  skin  with  pointed  irons  (iron  bolts),  and 
his  head  with  fish-spears."  In  this  light,  then, 
this  passage  would  mean  that,  man  zuill  Jill  this 
monster's  hide  with  pointed  irons,  or   iron    bolts. 

Although  this  is  exactly  the  contrary  to  what 
might  be  expected  in  reference  to  a  terrible  and 
invulnerable  monster,  yet,  strange  to  say,  it  is  ex- 
actly what  occurs  to  our  modern  leviathan. 

The  numerous  plates  of  iron  or  of  steel,  which 
really  constitute  its  hide,  or  its  exterior  envelope, 
are  filled  with  sharp-headed  iron  bolts.  And, 
in  one  sense,  it  is  really  not  its  body,  which  is 
so  filled,  for  it  is  hollow,  but  really  its  hide,  its 
skin^  as  the  Hebrew  text  has  it. 

As  to  the  second  part  of  this  verse,  which 
states  that  his  head  v^\\\  be  filled  with  fish-spears. 


l84  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

it  might  be  supposed  to  be  intended  to  refer  to 
that  apparently  tremendous  head  of  the  iocorao- 
tive,  the  smoke-stack,  which,  up  to  very  recently 
with  us,  was  ver>^  large  at  the  top,  and  was,  in 
many  instances,  ornamented  with  numerous  thin 
metallic  blades,  really,  in  appearance  and  shape, 
like  so  many  \'ibrating  spear-heads.  By  exaijjin- 
ing  that  class  of  locomotives,  one  will  readily 
notice  the  striking  application  of  this  view  of  the 
reference  of  this  desc^ption. 

The  reason  which  might  have  prompted  some 
ingenious  writer  to  alter  the  meaning  of  tftis  verse, 
in  some  primitive  manuscript,  might  be  this. 
It  was  naturally  supposed  that  this  entire  descrip- 
tion referred  to  some  invulnerable  monster,  as  it 
does  most  evidenth-.  ConsequentU-,  it  must  have 
been  a  surprise  to  find  here  one  verse  which  would 
pointedl}'  contradict  all  the  others,  by  asserting 
that  his  skin  would  be  filled  with  pointed  irons, 
and  his  head  with  fish  spears. 

Of  course,  the  evident  mistake  (?)  was  prompt!}- 
and,  as  it  se^ms,  ingeniously  corrected. 

Again,  sometimes  an  interrogation  may  have 
an  affirmative  force,  equivalent  to  a  negative 
question  as :  "  Canst  thon  not  fill  his  skin  .  .  .  ?" 
This  view  would  be  preferable  here.  But,  thauks 
to  the  presence  of  the  leviathan  himself.  I  hope 
we  will  be  enabled  to  unravel  also  'this  deep 
myster\-.  which  has  worried  so  man}-. 

The  supposition,  thSt  this  verse  might  have, 
originally,  read  in  the  affirmative,  although  it 
<eems    to    <r,]\-e  =;ome    of  its    difficulties,  and  a{>- 


plici  very  ell  to  our  iron  5teed,  whose  skin  and 
'r,t2,^  ire  inieci  t.Vj  ziUk  siiarp  iron  bolts,  and 
long  r>d5  like  spears,  yet  it  does  no:  seem  to 
remove  all  doubts  as  to  the  correctness  of  the 
meaning  attributed  to  some  of  its  expressions. 
For  insiance,  as  I  ha\-e  already  remarked,  it  seems 
donbiful  that  the. word  <iTOC*i  i>7.v/^:»M,  has  been 
correctly   transcribed     from    the    original    manu- 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  there  has  been  a 
serious  transposition  of  letters  here,  and  that 
instead  of  T^^\  sotucotk,  rendered  spears,  futs  ; 
we  should  read  iiTODi  souccoUi,  booths,  anerts. 

In  Gesenius'  Heb.  Grammar  (p.  19  we  hnd,  in 
reference  to  the  diSerence  formerly  existing  be- 
tween the  letters  sin^  and  samekh,  that,  "  At  a 
later  period  this  distinction  was  lost,  and  hence 
the  Syrians  employed  only  samekh  for  both,  and 
the  Arabians  only  sin.  They  also  began  to  be 
interchanged  even  in  the  later  Hebrew." 

Taking  samekh  as  having  been  the  original 
letter  at  the  beginning  of  the  above  word.  then, 
according  to  Gesenius.  it  is  possible  that  an 
Arabian  scribe,  not  understanding  to  what  this 
description  referred,  and  consequently  not  being 
able  to  make  the  proper  distinction  between  the 
words,  introduced  the  letter  sin,  instead  of  the 
original  sanu-kh. 

Taking  the  word  as  meaning  booths,  coverts. 
we  trould  have  as  the  meaning  of  this  passage. 
*•  Wilt  thou  fill  his  skin  with  booths  ?  "  or,  with 
the  force    of  an    affirmative,  "  Wilt  thou  not  fill 


1 86  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

his  skill  with  booths?"  Here  applies,  in  favor 
of  my  interpretation  of  the  word,  the  singular 
rendering  of  the  Vulgate,  which  has  nets;  an  ex- 
pression chosen,  nndoubtedl}^  for  its  being  tjie 
nearest  to  the  original  import  of  the  word,  and 
as  more  suitable  than  booths  or  lairs,  in  con- 
nection with  what  was  supposed  to  be  meant 
here,  viz.,  the  entrapping  or  slaying  of  an  enor- 
mous sea  monster.  Then,  as  to  the  difficulties  in 
the  second  member  of  this  verse,  the  rendering  of 
the  Vulgate,  although  it  is  quite  different  from 
all  others,  is  more  likely  to  have  given  us  the 
propel  meaning  of  the  word  ('^K'jV)  tslatsal,  viz., 
cabin.  But  here  instead  of  a  cabin  of  fishes,  I 
would  read  a  cabin  of  fishermen,  as  being  pro- 
bably the  original  reading.  This  would  give  us 
as  the  meaning  of  this  entire  verse:  "Wilt  thou 
not  fill  his  skin  with  booths,  and  his  head  with 
a  cabin  of  fishermen." 

Can  the  reader  ever  imagine  to  what  this  might 
be  intended  to  refer?  It  seems  even  more  pro- 
blematical than  any  version  which  has  been  pro- 
posed for  the  solution  of  these  difiiculties.  Indeed, 
it  seems  the  height  of  absurdity  to  ask,  if  the 
skin,  or  body,  of  a  monster  serpent  can  be  filled 
with  booths  or  coverts.  And  if  a  fisherman's 
cabin  could  be  placed  over  his  head. 

But  viewing  this  in  its  possible  app^lication  to 
our  long,  extended  and  snake-like  passenger  train, 
can  the  reader  find  abbut  it  anything  like  booths 
or  births  with  which  it  is  filled,  according  to  the 
requirements  of  the  words  of  Job  ? 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF   JOB.  187 

At  the  head  of  this  monster  serpent,  can  he 
perceive  a  cabin,  like  that  which  often  runs^  up 
through  the  deck  of  a  ship,  or  which  is  set  up 
on  the  deck  of  a  fisherman's  vessel,  something 
like  a  pilot  house?  If  so,  then  it  is  possible  that 
these  seemingly  unintelligible  words  of  Job,  have 
a  far  more  real  and  wonderful  application  for  us 
than  would  appear  at  first  sight. 

But  who  could  have  dreamt  that,  in  this  difficult 
verse,  was  hidden  and  sealed,  thirty-five  centuries 
ago,  such  a  wonderful  revelation  for  our  days. 

Yes,  undoubtedly,  here  we  have  before  us  most 
positive  evidence  that  this  description  applies 
directly  to  our  modern  passenger  train  and  palace 
sleeping  co^ioh^s, 'filled  ivith  booths  aiid  berths  for 
its  passengers. 

A  train  of  empty  coaches  is  as  a  long  empty 
shell;  or  but  a  skin,  as  it  were,  with  no  life  or 
body  in  it ;  which  readily  accounts  for  the  strange 
expression  which  Job  makes  use  of  in  saying, 
that  it  was  the  skin  of  this  serpent-like  monster 
which  was  filled  with  booths,  but  not,  in  reality, 
his  body. 

As  to  the  cabin  which  seems  to  have  been 
somewhere  about  the  head  of  this  monster,  it  is 
easily  recognized  as  being  the  engineer's  cabin, 
which  is  indeed  somewhat  like  the  cabin  of  a 
small  ship,  or  like  a  pilot  house,  and  situated  at 
the  head  of  the  train,  close  to  the  engine.  How 
singular  and  suggestive  to  find  here  also  the  very 
name  by  which  this  shelter  is  called  in  our  days, 
viz.,  a  cabin. 


l88  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

Once  more  comes  to  our  assistance,  in  reveal- 
ing the  mysteries  and  beauties  of  this  passage, 
our  steaming  and  bright-eyed  monster  with  his 
long  and  serpent-like  body.  There  he  goes, 
literally  filled  with  booths  and  berths,  and  with 
travellers  whinn  he  picks  up  on  his  way.  There 
stands  at  his  head  that  identical  cabin  pointed 
out  to  Job  and  to  us  by  the  Lord  Himself. 

I  cannot  pass  without  notice  the  extraordinary 
rendering  of  this  verse  b}^  the  Septuagint.     They 

have  l    "  nav  6e  nTiovrov  aweWov  ov  /ly  iveyiiudi  j3vp6av  filav  uvpdg  avroVf 

evTz'/Mioiq  aUeuv  KE(^akijv  avrov,"  which  I  render  I  "All  that  is 
navigable  united  together,  cannot  carry  one  skin 
(fold)  of  his  tail,  nor  his  head  in  all  the  fisher- 
men's boats." 

This  could  not  have  been  intended  as  a  trans- 
lation of  the  present  Hebrew  verse,  but  probably 
as  a  gloss.  Possibly,  they  have  been  guided, 
in  this,  by  other  manuscripts  or  traditions.  For 
I  must  say  that,  from  my  views  of  the  reference 
of  this  description,  it  is  a  most  remarkable  pas- 
sage. I  cannot  see  how  they  could  have  ex- 
pressed themselves  in  such  an  appropriate  and 
forcible  manner  without  having  some  knowledge 
of  the  true  nature  of  the  leviathan. 

Taking  the  leviathan  as  referring  more  specially 
here  to  a  locomotive  with  a  full  train  of  coaches 
all  linked  together,  he  would  appear  as  a  mon- 
ster fiery-flying  serpent.  His  head  would  be  the 
locomotive,  and  the  lortg-extended  train,  his  tail. 
Now  by  "  one  skin  of  his  tail "  the  Septuagint 
might    have    intended    to    refer    to    any    of  these 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  189 

ponderous  coaches  (folds),  which,  true  enough,  all 
the  small  fishing  smacks  of  those  days  could  not 
have  carried,  much  less  could  they  have  carried 
his  head,  viz.,  the  locomotive  itself. 

To  me  the  Septuagint  seems  to  have  seized 
an  essential  fact  in  this  case,  viz.,  that  it  was  not 
strictly  the  body  of  this  monster  which  was  here 
meant,  but  some  other  part,  'vhich  they  render 
"the  skin  of  his  tail,"  or  the  covering  of  what 
formed  his  long  tail ;  which  suits  very  well  the 
hollow  and  shell-like  construction  of  our  railroad 
coaches,  and  the  idea  contained  in  the  words  of 
Job.  Again,  they  seem  to  have  read  fishermen 
instead  of  fishes ;  the  very  reading  which  I  have 
suggested. 

Either  of  the  interpretations  which  I  have 
proposed  for  the  elucidation  of  this  verse,  applies 
very  well  to  our  newly  discovered  leviathan,  al- 
though I  give  preference  to  the  latter.  Con- 
sequently I  render :  "  Wilt  thou  not  fill  his  skin 
with  booths,  and  his  head  with  a  cabin  of  fisher- 


190 


A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 


THE  CONTENDING  FORCES  THAT  ARE 
WITHIN  HIM. 


-D^ty 

Place 

Pone 

^'"IK 

upon  him 

super  eum 

^p 

thy  hand ; 

mauum  tuam ; 

^?? 

remember 

memento 

nbn'7p 

the  conflict ; 

no  further 

belli ;  nee 

tlpin-'?N 

thou  wilt  add  questions. 

ultra  addas  loqui 

"  Lay  thine  hand  upon  him,  remember  the  battle,  do  no 
more."  

This  verse  has  none  of  the  difficulties  of  pre- 
vious ones.  Neither  are  the  original  expressions 
as  equivocal  as  some  which  have  so  sorely  tried 
the  patience  and  erudition  of  our  best  scholars. 
Yet  it  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  better 
understood  than  the  rest. 

It  would  be  quite  significant  to  say,  under 
these  circumstances,  that  they  seem  to  be  "on 
the  wrong  track."  Hence  the  man}'  difficulties 
they  meet  with  in  their  application  of  even  the 
simplest  passages. 

Most  commentators  ^ave  found  grave  difficulties 
here,  as  it  did  not  seem  reasonable  that  the  Lord 
would  command   Job    to  place    his    hand  on  any 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB,  I9I 

of  the  ferocious  monsters  to  vvhicli  tliey  sup- 
posed allusion  was  here    made. 

They  have  also  had  some  trouble  with  the 
expression  (f]Dir)"'?N)  al-tosaph^  which  they  render, 
do  no  more,  thou  ivilt  not  do  it  again,  go  no 
furtJiey.  The  rendering  of  the  Vulgate  would 
be  more  likely  to  have  expressed  its  true  mean- 
ing, which  I  also  consider  to  be,  that,  b}'  placing 
one's  hand  upon  this  monster,  he  will  acquire 
full  knowledge  of  his  nature,  and  will  add  no 
further  questions. 

The  passage  which  has  been  rendered  in  almost 
all  versions  by  remember  the  battle,  or  bezvare 
of  the  conflict,  has  been  generally  understood  of 
a  battle  which  would  be  likely  to  take  place"  if 
any  one  was  so  daring  as  to  place  his  hand  upon 
this  monster.  I  am  not  of  this  opinion,  but  am 
convinced  that  this  command  to  Job  to  place  his 
hand  upon  him,  was  simply  that  he  might 
acquire,  thereby,  the  knowledge  of  the  strange 
and  peculiar  nature  of  this  creature,  or  of  some- 
thing which  could  not  be  readily  noticed  other- 
wise. Undoubtedl}'  Job  felt  most  anxious  to 
know  all  about  this  terrible  looking  monster ; 
and  the  Lord  answers  this  sentiment  by  saying 
to  him  :  Place  thy  hand  upon  him  .  .  .  and  you 
will  add  no  further  questions.'' 

Had  it  been  an  evidently  wild  and  ferocious 
monster  which  was  here  alluded  to — as  all  sup- 
pose— this  warning  would  not  have  been  neces- 
sary. Neither  can  we  imagine  that  Job  would 
have  been  advised  to  place  his    hawd   on    such  a 


192         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

creature,  that  he  might  find  out  its  dangerous 
character. 

From  the  original  words  themselves,  it  seems 
to  me  quite  evident  that  what  Job  is  told  to  re- 
member, or  to  beware  of,  lies  in  some  peculiar 
conflict  of  forces,  or  internal  emotions,  not  notice- 
able to  the  sight,  but  which  would  be  readily  called 
to  mind  by  the  very  touch  of  him.  Hence  I  con- 
sider the  meaning  of  this  verse  to  be :  "  Place  thy 
hand  upon  him,  be  mindful  of  the  terrible  conflict, 
and  you  will  add  no  further  questions." 

I  can  well  understand  that  the  meaning  of 
this  verse  was  not  very  plain  to  those  who  looked 
upon  the  leviathan  as  a  wild  and  ferocious 
animal,  or  a  monster  sea  serpent,  for  Job  is  here, 
evidently,  commanded  to  place  his  hand  upon 
him,  which  would  seem  to  be  a  dangerous  pro- 
ceeding. Although  it  must  be  inferred,  from  this 
command,  that  the  act  was  quite  practicable,  and 
that  this  monster  could  be  captured  in  some  way, 
and  even  so  securely  bound  that  one  could  place 
his  hand  upon  his  back.  But  what  could  this  be 
intended  to  prove  ?  Certainly  not  the  strength  of 
this  monster,  nor  the  impenetrability  of  his  shield. 

It  is  plain  that  Job  was  not  told  to  beware 
of  any  of  the  exterior  parts  of  this  creature, 
such  as  his  mouth,  his  claws  or  his  tail ;  but 
rather  to  beware  of  some  terrible  and  danger- 
ous conflict  or  battling  of  some  kind ;  and  that 
after  he  had  placed  his»,  hand  upon  him,  he  would 
fully  realize  the  nature  of  this  conflict,  and  would 
ask  no  further  questions. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  193. 

As  to  the  probable  correctness  of  these  views, 
I  would  refer  to  the  extraordinary  and,  surely, 
impartial  rendering  of  this  verse  by  tjie  Septuagint. 

That  the  reader  may  judge  for  himself,  I  will 
quote  the  original  Greek  version,  it  reads  : 

"  'ETTUdTjaeig  6e  avrd  ^£ijO«,  uvT/aOetg  noXefiov  tov  yivo/iivev  ev  arofiari  avrov^ 

Km  fivnert  yiveadu,"  which  meaus  :  "  Place  thy  hand  upon 
him,  be  mindful  of  the  conflict  which  begins  in  his 
mouth,  and  thou  wilt  not  begin  again."  '  This  is  a 
still  more  wonderful  statement  than  that  which  we 
find  in  the  Hebrew.  They  say  that  this  conflict, 
of  which  one  must  beware,  begins  in  this  monster's 
mouth.  Evidently  it  is  this  contest  which  can 
be  felt  by  placing  one's  hand  upon  his  back; 
and  it  would  seem  to  be  of  such  a  nature  that, 
if  you  try  this  operation  once  you  will  not  ven- 
ture to  do  it  again.  What  could  this  have 
meant  to  those  who  looked  upon  the  leviathan 
as  a  monster  of  the  deep,  or  as  a  cold,  slimy 
crocodile  ?  As  they  cannot  explain  it  they  pass 
it  unnoticed. 

In  his  notes  on  this  (Hebrew)  passage,  Barnes 
says :  "  The  meaning  of  the  passage  evidently 
is — Endeavor  to  seize  him  by  laying  the  hand 
on  him,  and  you  will  soon  desist  from  the  fear- 
ful conflict,  and  will  not  renew  it."  But  this, 
evidently,  cannot  be  the  true  meaning,  since  we 
are  told  that  one  cannot  grapple  on  to  him 
neither  with  iron  hooks  nor  spears,  (xli.  27,  29). 

How  then  could  Job  be  advised  to  grapple  on 
to  him  with  his  bare  hands.  And  if  this  mon- 
ster were  an  animal,   securely  bound,   then  what 

»3 


194  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

danger  could  there  be  to  any  one  if  he  placed 
his  hand  on  his  back  ?  Yet  one  is  told  to  be- 
ware, and  that  he  who  did  it  once  would  not 
repeat  it  again. 

Prof.  Lee  explains  this  passage  thus :  "  Lay 
on  him,  i.e.  concerning  him,  thy  hand  to  thy 
mouth,  in  token  of  silence  and  astonishment." 
In  explanation  he  says:  "It  cannot  be  meant, 
surely,  that  the  hand  is  to  be  laid  on  this  terrific 
animal;  yet  Rosenmiiller  has  here:  'Injice  ei 
volant  hiarn.^  i.e.^  si  injicere  ei  ausus  fueris,  re- 
cordari,  etc'  Bochart,  'Cum  ipso  tactu  com- 
pereris  cutem  esse  illi  contra  omnem  ictum  in- 
victam.'  But  surely,  there  could  be  no  necessity 
for  touching  the  animal  in  order  to  ascertain 
this,  in  the  one  case ;  nor  for  putting  the  man  in 
mind,  in  the  other,  that  the  contest  would  be 
a  very  unequal  one.  This  would  be  just  as 
much  as  to  say :  '  If  you  cannot  believe  my 
statement,  make  the  trial  for  yourself,'  when  in 
fact,  the  whole  argument  proceeds  on  the  as- 
sumption, that  enough  is  known  to  need  no  such 
experiment ;  and  to  this  the  subsequent  context 
bears  its  testimony. 

"  On  my  view  the  general  sense  would  be : 
The  character  of  this  animal,  or  class  of  ani- 
mals, is  such  as  to  excite  the  deepest  dread  and 
astonishment,  even  in  its  contemplation  ;  much 
more  upon  the  supposition  of  its  being  en- 
countered single-handed.  Forbear  then,  even  to 
think  of  such  a  project." 

So,  Prof.  Lee  sees    a    real    difiiculty    here,   and 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF   JOB.  195 

cannot  admit  that  an}^  one  could  have  been  earn- 
estl}^  advised  to  lay  his  hand  on  this  terrible 
animal. 

Such  a  conclusion  is  certainly  very  natural 
for  any  one  who  supposes  that  the  leviathan  re- 
presents a  dangerous  wild  animal.  Yet  I  pro- 
pose to  overcome  all  these  great  difficulties  without 
doing  quite  as  much  violence  to  the  Hebrew  text 
as  the  Professor  has  done ;  for  I  cannot  admit 
that  it  can  be  constructed  into  ''  Lay  thy  hand 
on  thy  mouth  concerning  him."  His  argument 
is,  otherwise,  greatly  in  my  favor,  at  least  in  so 
far  as  it  goes  to  show  that  Job  could  not  have 
been  requested  to  place  his  hand  on  a  dangerous 
wild  monster;  and  that  there  is  no  evident 
necessity  for  such  an  act  in  the  way  of  proving 
either  his  strength  on  his  impenetrability. 

From  the  manner  in  which  the  Lord  addressed 
Job,  it  might  be  inferred  that  this  creature  was 
present  before  them.  Yet  it  does  not  appear  that 
any  one  has  seriousl}'  entertained  this  opinion  ;  still 
it  is  quite  probable  that  the  Lord  fully  revealed 
this  monster  to  Job  at  the  moment  He  was  ad- 
dressing him ;  no  contrary  inference  could  be 
drawn  from  an 3^  passage  in  this*  description. 

Who  has  not  dreams  or  visions  in  which  he 
sees  and  feels  the  objects  before  him  with  all 
their  peculiar  attributes,  just  as  though  these 
were,  in  reality,  before  him  at  the  moment.  We 
may  therefore  readily  understand  the  possibility 
of  Job  fully  realizing  the  peculiar  nature  of  this 
monster  even  by    some   such    means.     Although 


196         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

it  does  not  appear  that  it  was  during  his  sleep 
that  he  heard  and  saw  these  things,  yet  his  con- 
dition, at  the  moment,  might  have  been  such  that 
he  fully  realized  the  nature  of  all  that  he  saw, 
the  same  as  though  it  were,  in  reality,  all  present 
before  him. 

Again  this  vision  must  have  occurred  at  Job's 
own  residence,  and  in  the  very  presence  of 
the  friends  who  had  called  on  him.  There- 
fore, even  had  this  monster  been  a  crocodile,  it 
must  have  been  present  only  in  vision,  unless 
we  suppose  that  Job  and  his  friends  were,  at 
that  moment,  in  the  marshes  of  some  river,  and 
in  the  very  midst  of  these  dangerous  creatures ; 
which  would  not  only  be  very  doubtful,  but,  really, 
a  preposterous  supposition.  It  being  evidently  a 
vision.  Job  might  have  been  made  to  see  a 
monster  of  our  country  as  well  as  one  of  Southern 
Africa. 

Having  thus  given  the  pro  and  con  of  the 
most  difficult  points  in  this  verse,  and  shown,  as 
far  as  possible,  the  merits  and  weakness  of  several 
versions  and  comments,  I  will  now  undertake  to 
show  that  there  is  no  animal  known  to  which 
the  extraordinary  circumstances  described  in  this 
verse,  could  apply  better  than  to  our  modern 
locomotive. 

Supposing,  to  illustrate,  that  a  live  locomotive, 
or  steam  boiler,  stood  before  you,  and  that  you 
were  told,  in  the  very  words  of  this  verse,  "  Place 
thy  hand  upon  him,  be  mindful  of  the  internal 
conflict,  or  battling  forces,"  would  you  be  puzzled 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  I97 

to  understand  to  what  the  meaning  of  this  inter- 
nal conflict,  referred  ? 

As  every  one  knows,  the  boiler  of  a  steam 
engine  is  always  kept  partially  filled  with  boil- 
ing water  which  is  heated  by  a  raging  fire  in 
the  furnace. 

Consequently  the  iron  boiler  gets  to  be  very 
hot,  and  as  the  fire  increases  the  water  boils  with 
greater  fury,  till  the  constantly  increasing  pres- 
sure, bound  up  within  its  iron  flanks,  becomes  a 
terrible  source  of  danger.  Now  place  your  hand 
on  this  hot  iron  boiler  and  see  how  quickly  you 
will  realize  the  importance  and  propriety  of  the 
warning  given  to  Job ;  indeed  one  will  not  be 
apt  to  try  it  again,  nor  ask  any  further  questions, 
for  he  will  know  the  whole  secret.  On  the  other 
hand,  when  one  realizes  the  terrible  co7tflict  of 
forces  taking  place  within  this  monster's  iron- 
bound  body,  he  will  not  be  likely  to  venture  too 
close  to  him  unnecessarily. 

Let  us  now  try  this  same  application  in  the 
solution  of  that  extraordinary  version  of  the 
Septuagint.  They  render:  "Place  thine  hand 
upon  him,  be  mindful  of  the  conflict  which  begins 
in  his  mouth,  and  thou  wilt  not  begin  again." 
The  food  of  the  steam  engine  is  coals  of  fire. 
Naturally,  in  a  highly  figurative  description  like 
this,  the  mouth  of  this  monster,  may  be  con- 
sidered to  be  intended  for  that  part  through 
which  it  receives  this  food.  With  the  steam 
engine,  this  would  be  the  fire-box.  Now  the 
Septuagint    say  that    this  conflict — of  which  Job 


198  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

is  here  warned — begins  in  this  monster's  mouth. 
This  is  precisely  the  case  with  our  monster. 

Inside  of  it  a  terrible  conflict  is  raging  be- 
tween  two  opposed  elements,  fire  and  water. 
This  conflict  virtually  begins  in  the  month,  or 
furnace,  of  the  boiler ;  for  there,  is  lighted  .  the 
fire  which  is  the  very  beginning  of  this  contest. 

I  am  really  puzzled  to  know  how  the  Septua- 
gint  discovered  this  important  fact;  for  nothing 
of  the  kind  now  appears  in  the  Hebrew  text. 

This  verse  is  certainly  another  powerful  link 
in  the  already  strong  chain  of  evidences  in  favor 
of  my  views.  If  the  reader  is  not  convinced,  I 
would  say  to  him  as  the  Lord  said  unto  Job : 
"  Place  thy  hand  upon  him,  be  mindful  of  the 
internal  conflict,  and  you  will  add  no  further 
questions." 


IN   THE   BOOK    OF  JOB. 


199 


WHEN  HIS  STRENGTH  FAILS  HE  IS  SCATTERED 
TO  ATOMS. 


in'7nin-(n 


Behold,  his  hope,  confidence 
being  deceived,  made  false, 
shall  noi  at  once 
his  mighty  form,  looks 
be  spread  out,  cast  down  ? 


I     Ecce,  spes  ejus 
frustrabitur  eum, 
et 

videutibus  cunctis 
pnecipitabitur. 


"Behold,  the  hope  of  him  is  in  vain;  shall  not  one  be 
cast  down  even  at  the  sight  of  him  ?  " 


We  have  seen,  in  the  previous  verse,  that  one 
is  admonished  to  be  careful  in  laying  his  hands 
upon  the  leviathan,  and  to  beware  because  of 
the  terrible  raging  force  bound  up  within  him. 

From  an  attentive  and  laborious  ^tudy  of  the 
verse  under  consideration,  I  am  convinced  that 
it  has  an  immediate  reference  to  the  effects  of 
these  powerful  pent-up  forces. 

One  will  not  fail  to  notice  this,  when  he 
once  understands  the  true  meaning  and  reference 
of  the  original  quoted  above. 

The  literal  translation  of  it  has  caused  me  no 
little  vexation  on  account  of  the  conflicting  views 
met  with  among  high  authorities. 


200  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

All  the  commentaries  I  have  read,  look  upon 
the  expression  (lJl'7Dif1)  tochaletto^  as  referring 
to  the  hope  or  confidence  of  the  one  who  would 
dare  lay  hold  onto  the  leviathan,  whilst  it  evi- 
dently refers  to  the  hope  or  confidence  of  the 
leviathan  itself.  Otherwise  to  what  could  the 
words  (ViJ'^D"'?^)  el-tnarav,  refer,  as  the}^  evidently 
mean,  his  7nighty  forni^  or  looks  f  Certainly  this 
could  not  refer  to  Job  who,  at  that  moment,  must 
have  been  quite  weak  and  emaciated  from  his 
long  sufferings.  Then  the  personal  pronDuns  are 
not  in  the  second  person,  which  would  have  been 
the  case  had  the  Lord  intended  these  words  to 
apply  to  the  same  one  whom  he  addresses  in  the 
previous  verse. 

The  Vulgate  comes  the  nearest  to  the  original, 
it  has :  "  Behold,  his  hope  will  deceive  him,  and, 
in  the  sight  of  all,  he  will  be  cast  down." 

It  does  not  seem  quite  evident  of  whom  is 
here  predicated  the  action  of  being  deceived,  and 
cast  down.  One  might  as  well  infer,  from  the 
above,  that  it  was  the  monster  who  would  be 
overthrown  at  the  sight  of  Job,  as  that  it  would 
be  Job  himself,  or  some  one  else. 

The  last  words  of  the  previous  verse  would 
appear  to  settle  the  question,  as  far  as  Job  was 
concerned. 

It  would  seem  that  after  once  placing  his  hand 
upon  this  monster's  back,  he  would  ask  no  further 
questions.  Hence  we  must  infer  that  he  would 
not  run  the  risk  of  a  contest  with  him. 

Barnes  supposes  that  the  meaning  is,  that  the 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  20I 

appearance  of  this  mouster  will  be  so  formidable 
that  the  courage  of  any  one  attacking  him  would 
be   daunted,   and  his   resolution   fail. 

As  to  its  reference  to  an}'  one  who  would 
attack  him,  I  cannot  see  that  there  has  been 
a  question  of  anj^  such  third  person  in  the  pre- 
vious verses,  nor  of  anj^  such  attack.  Yet  as  the 
words  of  this  passage  clearl}'  indicate  that  the 
one  alluded  to  has  already  been  spoken  of  it 
seems  most  natural  that  we  should  suppose  that 
it  was  the  leviathan  himself.  Indeed  the  refer- 
ence to  his  great  confidence,  and  his  mighty 
form,  can  leave  no  doubt  that  it  is  he  that  is 
meant. 

Thus  the  idea  would  be  that,  this  monster's 
confidence  in  his  great  strength,  or  in  that  of 
his  shields,  being  deceived,  he  will  be  cast  down 
or  rather  spread  asunder.  This  last  meaning 
of  the  original  M^ord  is  very  significant  here,  as 
it  would  indicate  that  the  power  that  would  cause 
him  to  spread  asunder,  must  be  located  within 
himself. 

And  here  would  be  also  a  strong  indication 
that  this  destructive  power  is  the  very  conflict 
of  which  Job  is  warned  in  the  previous  verse. 

If  we  start  out  with  the  supposition  that  the 
leviathan  refers  to  some  wild  animal,  we  will  surely 
be  at  a  loss  to  understand  the  reason  for  such  a 
strange  statement.  According  to  the  original,  this 
casting  down^  or  spreadmg  asunder,  seems  accounted 
as  something  wonderful  and  strange  of  this  mon- 
ster, something  not  in  the  common  order  of  things  ; 


202  A    WONDERFUlv    DISCOVERY 

for  one's  attention  is  called  to  it  abruptly  by  the 
exclamation — Behold !  as  if  something  extraor- 
dinary and  worthy  of  special  attention,  was  to  take 
place.  Then  follows  the  statement  of  what  will 
happen  all  at  once^  if  his  confidence  or  strength 
should  have  deceived  him. 

Let  us  now  apply  these,  apparently,  strange 
assertions  to  the  no  less  strange  capacities  of  our 
modern  dragon,  which  has  been  here  personified 
for  the  purpose  of  adding  to  the  poetry  '  of  this 
description.  His  power,  which  is  steam,  lies  in 
the  centre  of  his  body.  And  his  hope^  or  the  con- 
fidence he  has  in  his  strength,  is  based  entirely  on 
the  thickness  and  quality  of  the  material  of  which 
his  body  (the  boiler)  is  made.  Some  boilers  are 
made  to  stand  an  enormous  pressure. 

But  should  the  boiler,  through  defective  work- 
manship, or  for  want  of  tensile  strength  in  the 
materials  employed  in  its  construction,  be  incapa- 
ble of  holding  the  enormous  pressure  for  which  it 
was  intended,  at  once  a  terrific  explosion  takes  place, 
and  the  powerful  and  majestic  form  of  this  mon- 
ster is  demolished  and  scattered  over  the  ground. 

Could  the  poetic  words  of  Job  find  their  fulfil- 
ment in  anything  grander  and  more  appropriate 
than  this  ?  It  is  in  unison  with  all  that  has  pre- 
ceded. It  fulfills  every  letter  of  the  text,  and 
brings  out  its  full  force  and  beauty  without  doing 
violence  to  a  single  word. 

How  poetic  the  idea  and  the  expression,  "  Be- 
hold! his  confidence  being  deceived."  Here  he  is 
represented  as   one  who  relies  with   confidence  on 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  205 

his  armor,  the  strength  of  which  has  been  guar- 
anteed to  him  by  its  makers.  But,  behold,  they 
have  deceived  him.  He  was  guaranteed  an  armor 
that  would  stand  his  greatest  exertions  ;  and  full 
of  confidence  he  starts  to  accomplish  his  task. 
But,  lo !  His  deceptive  armor  gives  way.  His 
massive  bones  of  iron  are  broken  and  twisted  like 
straws.  His  bauds  of  brass  become  like  rotten 
wood.  His  formidable  bod\^  is  spread  asunder ; 
and  his  head,  and  his  limbs,  and  his  ribs,  and 
his  mighty  form  are  scattered  over  the  ground. 

Alas,  at  times,  his  ambition  is  also  too  great ; 
he  presumes  too  much  on  his  strength  and  capa- 
city, and  in  his  mighty  rage  to  distance  all  com- 
petitors, either  on  sea  or  on  land,  he  bursts  the 
sinews  of  his  strength  and  turns  his  proud  and 
defiant  form  into  a  ridiculous   mass   of  fragments. 

Here  the  query  of  the  Septuagint  is  quite  apro- 
pos. They  ask  :  "  Hast  thou  not  seen  him?  Art 
thou  not  astonished  at  all  that  is  related  of  him?  '^ 

To  both  of  these  questions  we  are  now  in  a 
position  to  answer :  Yes,  we  have  seen  him,  and 
we  are  greatly  astonished  at  all  that  Job  relates  of 
him  ;  and  we  now  understand  to  what  he  referred 
when  he  said :  "  Behold,  his  confidence  being 
deceived,  shall  not  at  once  his  mighty  form  be 
spread  asunder?" 


204 


A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 


WHO  WIIvI.  VKNTURE  TO  STAND  BEFORE  HIM 

Verse  lO 


npN-N'? 

None  so  bold 

Non  quasi 

^3 

that 

crudelis 

^^7^! 

he  will  stir  up  this  oue 

suscitabo  eum  ; 

^Dl 

and  none  who 

Quis 

N*\4 

then 

enim 

v-0':' 

in  front  (before  his  face) 

vultui  meo 

'*^m 

will  place  himself 

resistere  potest  ? 

'  *  None  so  fierce  that  dare  stir  him  up  ; 
Who  then  is  able  to  stand  before  me  ?" 

There  exists  a  great  difference  between  the 
various  renderings  of  the  first  part  of  this  verse. 
The  Vulgate,  as  you  notice  above,  is  quite  dif- 
ferent from  the  English  version.  And  the  Sep- 
tuagint  differ  widely  from  both.  It  is  evident  that 
the  latter  did  not  confine  themselves  to  our  present 
Hebrew  text.  They  render:  *' I  have  not  feared 
that  he  might  be  made  ready  against  me ;  who 
indeed  can  oppose  himself  to  me  ?"  Not  a  word 
of  this  first  hemistich  occurs  in  the  original.  I 
cannot  see  how  these  seventy  great  scholars  could 
have  agreed  on  such  a  rendering. 

Instead  of  "  none  so  fierce,"  I  would  prefer 
translating  "  none  so  bold  ;"  for  it  is  not  so  much 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  205 

fierceness  which  is  here  required,  as  boldness. 
Barnes  renders :  "  None  is  so  courageous  that  he 
dare  arouse  him ;  and  who  then  is  he  that  can 
stand  before  me?"  His  opinion  is  that  no  one 
would  have  courage  enough  to  rouse  and  provoke 
him.  Of  the  second  hemistich  he  says  :  "  The 
meaning  of  this  is  plain.  It  is :  If  one  of  my 
creatures  is  so  formidable  that  man  dare  not  attack 
it,  how  can  he  contend  with  the  great  Creator? 
This  may  perhaps  be  designed  as  a  reproof  of 
Job.  He  had  expressed  a  desire  to  carry  his  cause 
before  God.  How  could  he  presume  to  contend 
with  God?" 

I  cannot  take  this  view  of  the  above  passage. 
Neither  can  I  see  why  the  Lord  would  intend, 
here,  to  reprimand  his  holy  servant  Job ;  when, 
in  a  subsequent  chapter,  he  praises  him  for  having 
spoken  right  of  him.  Neither  can  I  find  the 
required  similarity  which  should  exist  between 
the  two  parallel  cases  which,  according  to  the 
above  views,  would  be  here  intended. 

On  one  hand,  it  is  a  righteous  and  greatly 
afflicted  man  who,  in  the  sincerity  of  his  heart 
and  in  the  full  conviction  of  his  innocence,  ex- 
presses the  wish  that  he  could  be  allowed  to  plead 
his  case  before  his  Creator,  wishing,  by  the 
expression  of  this  sentiment,  to  prove  to  his 
friends  that  he  was  not  guilty  of  their  accusa- 
tions, and  did  not  fear  being  condemned  by  his 
Creator,  if  he  could  only  carry  his  case  before 
Him.  Now,  is  it  probable  that  this  righteous 
and  afflicted  servant  of  God  would,  in  this  case, 


2o6  A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

be  likened  to  "a  fierce  and  bold  man,  who,  never- 
theless, wonld  not  have  the  courage  to  stand  in 
the  presence  of  a  wild  monster,  who  would  be 
likely  to  devour  him  ?  Is  there  any  similarity 
between  these  two  cases  ?  Surely  Job's  sincerity 
cannot  be  taken  for  presumption,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  fierce  and  bold  man.  Neither  is  it  evident 
that  Job  wished  to  contend  with  the  Lord,  or  op- 
pose himself  to  Him,  as  must  be  inferred  to  be 
the  case  in  this  supposed  comparison  of  him  to  one 
who  would  dare  stand  boldly  in  front  of  such  a 
monster  as  this. 

On  the  other  hand,  would  not  God  be  compar- 
ing Himself  here  to  a  terrible  monster,  who  would 
be  likely  to  tear  such  a  man  to  pieces  ? 

These  few  reflections  are,  of  themselves,  suffi- 
cient to  cause  us  to  condemn  the  interpretations 
which  have  been  given  of  this  passage,  and  also 
the  present  reading  of  the  original,  which  has 
^iven  rise  to  them. 

The  cause  of  all  the  trouble  which  translators 
and  exegetists  have  had  with  this  verse  can  easily 
be  traced  to  the  Hebrew  word  i^'^^)  lephanay^  ren- 
dered before  me.  I  am  convinced  that  this  word  is 
simply  the  adjective  ^}Sf7)  liphiay.,  meaning /;y;;//, 
in  front ;  or  that  the  original  manuscript  must 
have  read  (^^^?'?)  lephanav^  before  him.^  in  front  of 
him  ;  and  not  before  me. 

In  searching  for  evidence  to  confirm  my  views, 
I  have  just  found  Umbreit's  commentary,  in  which 
I  read  the  following  important  remarks  on  this 
passage.      It   has :    "  Instead    of    (^^7''?)   leplianay^ 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  207 

before  nie^  several  codd.  read  (V^t)'?)  lephaiiav,  before 
him ;  which,  if  referred  to  the  leviathan,  though 
it  may  seem  to  be  an  improvement,  in  realit}- 
enfeebles  the  sense." 

I  leave  it  to  the  reader  to  judge  whether,  in  the 
present  light  of  the  question,  it  does  tend  to  enfeeble 
the  sense.  It  is  remarkable,  and  important  to  me, 
to  find  that  some  manuscripts  confirm  my  views. 
I  hope  that  the  other  corrections  which  I  have  pro- 
posed may  be  equally  sustained  by  evidence  from 
other  ancient  readings.  Unfortunatehr,  I  have 
none  to  consult. 

According  to  the  above  explanations,  this  verse 
would  have  the  following  meaning :  "  None  so  bold 
that  he  will  stir  up  this  one ;  and  7i07ie  who  will 
then  place  himself  before  his  face." 

No  one  will  deu}^  that  this  agrees  better  with  the 
context,  and  with  the  subject  under  consideration, 
than  any  reading  which  has  been  proposed.  As 
to  its  application  to  a  locomotive,  it  is  so  astonish- 
ingly natural  that  one  cannot  help  recognizing  it. 
It  is  a  government  law  that  all  steam  boilers  shall 
be  tested,  and  that  none  shall  carr};^  more  pressure 
than  allowed,  which  is  generally  a  great  deal 
less  than  its  full  capacity.  Now  to  run  a  boiler 
to  its  full  capacity,  that  is,  beyond  the  limit  of 
safety,  or  to  excite  it  to  a  foaming  rage,  is  an 
act  that  the  bravest  engineer  would  not  be  bold 
enough  to  do.  And  this  is  what  is  here  meant 
by  the  words,  "  None  is  so  bold  that  he  will  stir 
him  up,"  viz.,  cause  him  to  rage,  or  push  him  to 
that  point  when  he  becomes  furious  and  danger- 


208         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

ous.  Now  comes  in  the  propriety  of  the  idea 
expressed  in  the  second  part  of  the  verse. 

Here  is  a  raging  monster  stirred  up  to  full 
speed,  "  Who  is  so  bold  that  he  will  place  him- 
self before  his  face  ?  "  Any  one  can  appreciate 
the  full  force  of  these  words,  if  he  will  place 
himself  in  front  of  a  locomotive  coming  at  full 
speed ;  he  will  soon  realize  that  he  dare  not  stand 
firm  before  his  face.  In  this  verse  I  find  also  a  full 
confirmation  of  the  opinion  I  expressed  at  the 
beginning,  viz.,  that  the  leviathan  referred  more 
specially  to  a  locomotive,  or  self-propelling  engine. 

Unless  the  reference  here  were  to  something 
moving  forward  very  swiftly,  there  could  be  no 
such  danger  in  simply  standing  before  him.  For 
one  can  stand  without  much  fear  or  danger  be- 
fore a  stationary  engine ;  but  the  case  would  be 
quite  different  for  one  who  would  attempt  to  face 
our  lightning  express,  or  Cannon-Bail  trains. 

Were  it  a  wild  monster,  there  would  be  as  much 
danger  in  standing  near  him  as,  before  his  face. 

Here,  with  this  leviathan,  the  danger  seems  to 
be  in  standing  directly  in  front  of  him.  This 
again  would  point  out  our  locomotive  as  the  one 
alluded  to,  as  the  only  danger  is  in  placing  one- 
self before  his  face. 

This  verse  will  now  be  found  to  have  quite  a 
different  meaning  from  that  heretofore  attributed 
to  it ;  and  I  am  confident  that  it  will,  henceforth, 
be  recognized  to  be:  "  There  is  none  so  bold  that 
he  will  stir  up  this  one  to  rage ;  and  none  who 
will  then  place  himself  before  his  face." 


IN"    THii    BOOK    OF  JOB. 


209 


NONE  BUT   THE   LIKE   OF   HIMSELF   CAN   COM- 
PETE WITH  HIM. 


'P 

Who 

Quis  ante 

(iJiJ^:onpn 

hath  preceded  this  one 

dedit  mihi 

and  will  remain  in  safety  .endure  ? 

ut  reddam  ei  ? 

nnn 

iinder 

omnia  quae 

awn-'i'D 

the  whole  heavens 

sub  coelo  sunt 

Nin-»'? 

(^'71'?)  non^  unless  himself. 

mea  sunt. 

' '  Who   hath   prevented   me   that   I  should  repay    him  ? 
Whatsoever  is  under  the  whole  heaven  is  mine. ' ' 


This  is  another  of  the  vexed  passages.  As  it 
now  reads  in  the  Hebrew  its  difficulties  are  so 
great  that  I  have  no  hesitancy  in  saying  that 
the  original  has  been  tampered  with ;  and  this 
for  the  evident  purpose  of  making  it  harmonize 
with  sentiments  expressed  in  the  previous  verse 
and  which,  as  we  have  seen,  were  entirely  foreign 
to  the  subject.  In  both  instances  the  whole 
trouble  has  been  caused  by  the  personal  pro- 
noun of  the  first  person  being  wrongly  put  for 
that  of  the  second  person. 

Here  instead  of  '(^JOnpH)  hikeddimani,  who 
hath  prevented  me^  we  should  read  (UDHpn) 
hikeddimennou,   who   hath  prevented  him.      I  am 


2IO         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

satisfied  that  those  who  may  have  access  to 
ancient  manuscripts  will  find  this  reading  corro- 
borated. The  proper  meaning  of  the  word  here 
is  not  to  preve7it^  but  to  precede^  to  go  before. 
Consequently  the  ineaning  is,  who  will  precede 
this  one,  or,  who  will  go  before  him.  The  word 
may  also  be  taken  in  the  sense  of  to  compete^ 
to  oppose  oneself  to  another. 

In  many  of  our  versions  words  have  been  here 
substituted  which  are  not  warranted  by  the  ori- 
ginal. The  "  ut  reddam  ei "  of  the  Vulgate, 
rendered,  "that  I  should  repay  him,"  is  far  from 
the  idea  conveyed  by  the  original  expressian, 
which  means  to  remain  in  safety.^  to  endure^  to 
contirme.  I  consider  that  this  word  read,  origin- 
ally (D'pC'n)  veyishlam. 

According  to  this  the  meaning  of  this  passage 
would  be  very  plain  and  appropriate,  viz.,  who 
will  precede  this  one,  and  will  continue  in-  safety  ? 
or,  who  will  attempt  to  run  before  him,  and  will 
endure  ? 

In  another  sense  of  the  word  we  may  render : 
"  Who  will  stand  up  in  competition  before  him 
and  endure  ?  "  This  may  apply  as  well  to  the 
unequalled  capacity  of  the  leviathan  for  work  as 
to  its  unsurpassable  swiftness  in  flight. 

In  the  previous  verse  we  were  told  that  no 
one  would  be  so  bold  as  to  stand  firm  before  him 
at  his  approach.  Here  the  same  idea  of  his 
rapidity  in  flight  is  not  only  continued,  but  is 
intensified :  "  None  can  successfully  oppose  him- 
self in  front  of   him."     Could  this    sweeping  as- 


I\    THl-     BOOK    OF   JOB.  211 

sertion  be  made  of  the  hippopotamus,  or  of  a 
crocodile  ?  I  fear  for  their  laurels  when  pitted 
against  our  great  leviathan. 

As  to  the  views  of  others  concerning  this  verse 
and  its  difficulties,  as  it  now  reads,  I  would  here 
quote  Barnes ;  he  says :  ''As  this  verse  is  here 
rendered,  its  meaning,  and  the  reason  why  it  is 
introduced,  are  not  very  apparent. 

"  It  almost  looks,  indeed,  as  if  it  were  an  inter- 
polation, or  had  been  introduced  from  some  other 
place,  and  torn  from  its  proper  connections  .  .  . 
But  perhaps  the  true  idea  of  the  passage  may 
be  arrived  at  by  adverting  to  the  meaning  of 
the  word  rendered  '  prevented  ' — (D"'!^)  quadam.  It 
properly  means  in  Piel,  to  go  before ;  to  precede, 
to  anticipate  .  .  .  Then  it  means  to  rush  upon 
suddenly,  to  seize,  to  go  to  meet  any  one  .  .  . 
If  some  idea  of  this  kind  be  supposed  to  be  con- 
ve3'ed  by  the  word  here,  it  will  probably  express 
the  true  meaning.  "  Who  is  able  to  seize  upon  mc 
suddenly,  or  when  I  am  off  guard,  to  anticipate  my 
watchfulness  and  power  of  resistance  ...?'' 

All  this  is  very  well,  especially  as  it  is  an  ex- 
cellent proof  of  how  difficult  the  present  reading 
of  the  Hebrew  is,  since  it  looks  as  if  it  were  an 
interpolation.  Bmt  I  hope  I  have  succeeded  in 
throwing  some  light  upon  this  dark  passage, 
and  in  establishing  its  true  meaning  which,  con- 
trary to  the  opinion  of  the  above  learned  expo- 
nent, refers  to  the  incapacity  of  any  competitor 
to  stand  successfully  before  the  leviathan,  and 
not  to  man's  opposition  to  God. 


212         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

Of  all  the  versions  that  I  have  seen,  the  Sept. 
are  decidedly  the  nearest  to  the  Hebrew,  as  far 
as  the  first  part  of  this  verse  is  concerned.  But 
they  also  seem  to  have  read  me^  instead  of  Iiiju. 
They  render :  "  Who  will  oppose  me^  and  will 
endure? "  To  oppose^  and  to  endure^  is  exactly 
the  meaning  which  I  contend  that  the  Hebrew 
words  have  respectively,  and  not  that  of  giving, 
and  repaying;  as  a  revised  version  has:  "Who 
has  first  given  me,  that  I  should  repay  ?  " 

As  to  the  second  hfemistich,  none  seem  to  have 
been  able  to  confine  themselves  to  the  words  of 
the  original,  and  make  any  sense  of  it.  It  is  a 
very  difficult  passage,  and  unless  the  first  is  per- 
fectly well  understood,  there  remains  very  little 
chance  to  render  this  one  properly,  on  account 
of  its  great  brevity. 

The  first  part  of  this  verse,  as  we  have  seen. 
is  in  the  interrogative — "  Who  will  precede  this 
one,  and  continue  in  safety  ?  "  Now  the  second 
will  be  found  to  contain  the  answer. 

The  Vulgate  renders  it :  "  All  things  under  the 
heavens  are  mine."  The  Septuagint  have :  "  If 
every  thing  under  the  heavens  is  mine."  All 
modern  versions  are  worded  after  these. 

I  cannot  find  in  the  Hebrew  any  word  cor- 
responding to  the  "  Omnia  quse  .  .  .  sunt "  of  the 
Vulgate — all  things  that  are. 

The  original  has  simply,  "  under  the  whole 
heavens,"  as  you  will  notice  by  referring  to  the 
beginning.  Consequently  their  is  no  authority  for 
the  addition,  in  our  versions,  of  the  words,  "  what- 


IN    TIIF,    1500K    OF  JOB.  213 

This  leaves  very  little  chance  to  make 
aii}^  sense  out  of  this  passage  with  the  remaining 
expression  (NIH  v)  li-lwu^  if  we  accept  it  to  mean 
is  mine. 

No  other  explanation  can  suit  this  than  that 
(v)  li^  is  an  abbreviation  or  shortening  of  ^^'^) 
loulay  meaning,  tmless^  if^  if  not.  Or  that  it  read, 
originally,  i^h)  lo^  no^  none,  then  the  meaning 
Vv'ould  be — none  but  himself. 

This  would  give  to  this  entire  verse  the  follow- 
ing plausible  and  extraordinary  meaning  :  "  Who, 
under  the  whole  heaven,  will  precede  this  one  and 
continue  in  safety,  unless  himself?" 
.  Or  in  the  sense  of  «f?,  nojie^  we  may  render 
"  Who  will  precede  this  one,  and  continue  in 
safety  ?  Under  the  whole  heaven  none  but  him- 
self." According  to  this,  then,  none  can  be  pitted 
— in  the  race — against  a  leviathan  and  endure, 
none  under  the  whole  heaven,  unless  it  be  another 
leviathan. 

This  is  certainly  quite  a  different  meaning  from 
that  which  has  been  universally  attributed  to  this 
verse  up  to  this  day.  But  who  will  not  now 
recognize  that  the  former  is  very  unsatisfactory, 
not  at  all  in  keeping  with  either  the  context  or 
the  general  drift,  of  this  description  ? 

On  the  other  hand  the  full  power  and  beauty 
of  this  verse  can  be  easily  appreciated  when  in- 
terpreted of  the  great  speed  of  our  engines  and 
express  trains,  and  of  their  unsurpassable  endur- 
ance on  a  long  run.  How  true,  indeed,  to  say 
of  our  swift-fleeing  monster  that  none,  under  the 


214  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

whole  heaven,  can  stand  before  him,  or,  compete 
with  him  successfully,  unless  it  be  one  like  unto 
himself. 

There  is  nothing  that  can  compete  with  a 
railroad,  unless  it  be  another  railroad.  Or  with 
a  steamship,  unless  it  be  another  steamship. 

From  this  it  would  seem  that  we  could  pre- 
dicate that  nothing  will  ever  supersede  steam. 

Although  great  thing  are  expected  of  electricity, 
yet,  so  far,  steam  is  its  generator. 

This  verse  will  now  be  found  to  be  far  more 
interesting  to  us  than  expected  as,  evidently,  its 
meaning  is :  "  Who  will  precede  this  one  and 
remain  in  safety  ?  Under  the  whole  heaven  none 
unless  himself." 

Here,  once  more,  the  well-known  capacities  of 
our  fiery  steed  help  us  to  unravel  the  almost 
obliterated  inscriptions  of  an  ancient  parchment, 
and  enable  us  to  restore  to  its  primitive  beauty 
an  old  and  much  abused  masterpiece. 


IN    THE   BOOK   Of  JOB. 


^^5 


HE   IS    A    MAvSTERPlECE    OF   BEAUTY    AND 
STRENGTH. 

Verse   12. 


t2^'nnN*-N*'7 

I  will  not  pass  in  silence 

Non  parcam 

^'35 

his  members,  parts, 

ei 

ns-n 

nor  the  matter  of 

et  verbis 

niiiDi 

his  powers,  mighty  forces, 

potentibus 

ro"! 

nor  the  beauty 

et  ad  deprecandnm 

:  i?"^lir 

of  his  equipment. 

compositis. 

"  I  will  not  conceal  his  parts,  nor  his  power,  nor  his 
comely  proportions." 

The  true  meaning  and  reference  of  this  verse 
arc  not  so  easily  arrived  at  as  one  might  suppose. 
The  difficulties  met  with  are  almost  as  great  as 
those  in  the  two  previous  ones.  Therefore  I  can- 
not wonder  at  its  various   renderings. 

The  Vulgate,  as  you  see  above,  has  passed  over 
the  word  (V^'15)  baddav,  which  I  consider  to  refer 
here  to  the  liinbs^  or  members  of  the  leviathan, 
or  possibly  to  the  various  parts  of  his  structure, 
as  the  root  (15)  bad^  would  indicate. 

That  this  is  the  proper  meaning  of  the  word, 
seems  to  be  indicated  also  by  the  verses  which 
immediately  follow,  which  are  descriptive  of 
various  parts  of  the  leviathan,  such  as  his  cover- 


2l6  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

ing,  the  doors  of  his  facings,  the  strength  of  his 
shields,  etc.  The  Vulgate  is  so  different  from 
all  other  versions  that  one  would  be  inclined  to 
believe  that  it  had  followed  some  entirely  differ- 
ent manuscript ;  it  has  :  "  I  will  not  spare  him, 
nor  his  powerful  utterances  framed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  entreaty."  This,  as  strange  as  it  may 
appear,  would  agree  remarkably  well  with  the 
powerful  utterances  of  our  locomotives,  and  with 
the  very  purpose  for  which  they  are  uttered,  which 
is,  to  give  warning  of  their  approach  and  to  en- 
treat passers-by  to  keep  out  of  their  way. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Vulgate  and  the 
Sept.,  most  versions  omit  the  important  word 
pD"!)  dabar.  It  means,  primarily,  ^a  word,  an 
utterance ;  then,  the  cause ^  mode  or  reason  of  a 
thing. 

In  the  sense  of  utterance,  it  would  mean  here, 
in  connection  with  the  word  powers,  which  im- 
mediately follows  it,  the  utterance  of  great  powers, 
or  forces^  This  would  certainly  apply,  in  a  very 
direct  manner,  to  the  noise  made  by  the  escaping 
forces  of  steam. 

At  this  very  instant  a  powerful  locomotive  is 
passing  within  a  few  yards  of  the  spot  where  I 
am  reviewing  these  notes  ;  and  as  if  to  impress 
deeply  upon  my  mind  the  sense  and  great  force 
of  these  words,  he  is  puffiing  with  all  his  might ; 
belching  forth  repeated  utterances  of  those  might}' 
forces  so  securely  bound  up  within  his  iron 
flanks,  and  to  which  (forces)  Job  evidently  refers 
here. 


IN    THl".    noOK    OF   JOK.  21/ 

We  have  already  been  informed,  in  verse  third, 
that  his  utterances  are  terrible  and  imperative. 
This  was  in  reference  to  the  loud  and  thrilling 
warnings  which  an  engine  gives  of  its  approach. 
Whilst  in  this  verse,  Ike  utterances  of  his  powers^ 
would  seem  to  refer  more  directly  to  the  con- 
tinual manifestations  of  these  forces  by  the  con- 
stant puffing  of  an  engine  as  it  moves  on,  and 
which  is  caused  by  the  escaping  of  the  ex- 
hausted steam  after  each  stroke  of  the  piston 
upon  which  it  has  exerted  its  power.  It  is  there- 
fore most  truly  the  utterance  of  his  powers^  or  forces^ 
or,  the  noise  which  is  made  b}-  the  rushing  forth 
of  steam  as  it  escapes  from  the  cylinders  through 
the  smokestack.  Undoubtedly  Job  could  have 
constructed  a  steam  engine  had  he  had  the  means 
at  hand,  so  perfectly  and  poetically  has  he  de- 
scribed even  its  most  secret  workings. 

Although  the  above  meaning  of  the  words  is 
quite  applicable  to  the  well-known  capacities  of 
our  monster  for  terrific  utterances,  yet  the  word 
dabar  may  be  taken  as  meaning  here,  the  matter^ 
cause  or  reason  of  a  thing.  Then  the  sense 
would  be,  the  matter^  or  cause  of  the  mighty  forces  ; 
that  is :  "I  will  not  pass  in  silence  his  mem- 
bers, nor  the  matter  of  his  mighty  forces.  ..." 

This  would  al^o  be  a  most  wonderful  and 
direct  reference  to  the  mighty  forces  of  steam, 
which  are  pent  up  within  the  flanks  of  our  mon- 
ster, and  which  are  of  such  vital  importance  that 
indeed,  according  to  the  word  of  this  verse,  they 
cannot  be  passed  over  in  silence. 


2lS  A    WONDKRFUL    DLSCOVERY 

We  may  also  infer  from  these  words  that  these 
mighty  forces  will  be  alluded  to  in  some  of  the 
verses  which  will  follow. 

Let  us  now  see  what  the  Septuagint  thought 
of  this  difficult  verse.  They  render  it :  "I  will 
not  be  silent  concerning  him,  nor  be  merciful  con- 
cerning  his  powerful  voice,  equal  in  strength  to 
himself."  This  is  not  a  strictly  literal  rendering 
of  the  original  Hebrew.  That  part,  referring  to 
the  beauty  of  his  equipment,  has  also  been  omitted. 
But  what  they  say  concerning  the  voice  of  this 
monster  is  certainly  very  extraordinary.  As  you 
have  noticed,  they  look  upon  his  voice  as  being 
equal  in  strength  to  himself;  that  is,  that  this 
monster's  voice  is  of  the  same  power,  or  strength,, 
as  that  which  causes  him  to  move  or  to  act. 
The  question  arises — How  could  this  be  said  of 
an  animal? 

It  often  happens  that  very  powerful  creatures 
have  but  a  very  faint  voice,  and  none  of  them 
have  such  a  voice  that  it  could  be  said  to  be 
equal  in  strength  to  their  own  great  muscular 
power ;  for  the  power  of  the  voice  depends  on 
quite  a  different  set  of  muscles  from  that  of  the 
body  and  limbs.  The  only  explanation  would 
seem  to  be  that  the  Septuagint  perceived,  in  the 
original,  some  indication  that  the  force  which  im- 
parted the  strength  to  this  monster's  voice  was 
of  the  same  nature  and  equal  in  strength  to 
that  which  constituted  his  power.  If  so,  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  they  became  aware 
that  this  description  could  not  refer  to  a  ferocious 


IN    THK    mJOK    OK   JOB.  219 

animal,  but  to  some  mecliiiiiical  contrivance  ;  and 
that  the  force  which  gave  power  to  it  also  fur- 
nished the  power  for  its  voice ;  consequently  the 
extraordinary  rendering  which  they   have  left  us. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  the  words  of  the  Sept.^ 
could  find  no  better  elucidation,  nor  application, 
than  in  the  well-known  facts  concerning  our 
steam  monster,  whose  voice  is  produced  by  ex- 
actly the  same  force  that  gives  him  his  power 
to  move ;  and  the  greater  that  force  is,  the  more 
powerful  are  his  utterances;  so  that,  indeed,  the 
strength  of  his  voice  is  equal  to  his  power,  and 
similar  to  it  in  its   nalurc. 

As  to  "the  beauty  of  his  equipment,"  referred 
to  in  the  last  part  of  this  verse,  it  must  be  con- 
ceded that  this  could  not  apply  to  the  crocodile ; 
for  there  is  surely  no  beauty  nor  grace  in  his 
form,  nor  in  his  rough  and  slimy  skin,  nor  in 
his  mi.serably  short  and  crooked  limbs. 

Albert  Barnes  himself,  in  explanation  of  the  fifth 
verse  where  it  is  asked  :  "  Wilt  thou  bind  him 
for  thy  maidens  ?"  says :  "  There  is  great  force 
in  this  question,  on  the  supposition  that  the 
crocodile  is  intended.  Nothing  could  be  more 
incongruous  than  the  idea  of  securing  so  rough 
and  tinsigJitly  a  monster  for  the  amusement  of 
tender  and  delicate  females." 

In  reference  to  the  same  passage  Prof.  Lee 
remarks:  "  But  how  this  can  appl}-  either  to  the 
crocodile,  or  the  whale,  it  is  be3'ond  ni}'  powers 
of  vision  to  see.  No  animals,  perhaps,  are  more 
ill-favored  in  form  than  these." 


'2  20  A    WONDERFUL    DLSCOVERY. 

So  that,  here  again,  our  learned  exponents  are 
at  a  great  loss  to  account  for  this  beauty  of  the 
entire  equipment  of  the  leviathan. 

They  have  made  him,  all  along,  such  a  horri- 
ble and  ferocious  wild  monster  that  they  cannot 
now  make  this  great  beauty  of  all  his  parts  har- 
monize with  their  views. 

But  now  let  us  take  a  glance  at  our  bright- 
eyed  and  smooth-skinned  monster. 

Behold  how  comely  in  all  his  parts ;  how 
beautiful  in  all  his  proportions.  How  gracefully 
his  whole  armor  fits ;  not  a  wrinkle ;  nothing 
loose,  nor  shaky. 

He  is  a  masterpiece  of  workmanship ;  beautiful 
to  look  at  in  the  completeness  of  his  equipment. 
His  powerful  limbs  are  skilfully  wrought,  and 
graceful  in  all  their  movements.  He  fairly  shines 
with  glory  and  pride.  Yea,  he  is  a  fiery  steed 
of  great    power  and  beauty. 

This  was  found  to  be  a  very  difficult  verse  when 
forced  to  apply  to  any  known  animal ;  but,  when 
viewed  in  its  possible  reference  to  our  modern  mas- 
terpiece of  beauty  and  strength,  it  becomes  easy 
of  application  and  quite  proper  and  intelligible. 

We  have  already  recognized,  in  this  descrip- 
tion, our  modern  leviathan  by  his  bones  and  by 
various  parts  of  his  body,  which  we  have,  as  it 
were,  exhumed  one  by  one. 

We  have  now  succeeded  in  identifying  him  by 
the  beaut}^  of  his  equipment. 

This  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  any  of  his 
competitors. 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF   JOB. 


22i 


HIS  SHIELDS  CANNOT  BE  TORN  ASUNDER. 


n'jr^D 

Who  can  strip  off,  uncover 

Quis  revelabit 

'  '}^ 

the  facings 

faciem 

itj'Va^ 

of  his  covering,  jacket  ? 

indumenti  ejus  ? 

'?q;^2 

Between  the  double  lap 

et  in  medium 

ijpi 

of  his  binding 

oris  ejus 

:  N1J»  »p 

who  can  penetrate  ? 

quis  intrabit  ? 

"  Who  can  discover  the  face  of  his  garment?  or  who  can 
come  to  him  with  his  double  bridle?  " 


The  first  part  of  this  verse  is  easily  under- 
stood ;  and  the  same  meaning  has  generally  been 
ascribed  to  it  by  all  commentators,  although  many 
are  doubtful  as  to  what  animal  it  may  refer. 

I  would  call  special  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  word  rendered  /ace  is  literally  in  the  plural, 
and  consequently  should  be  rendered  faces.  But 
if  we  are  to  look  upon  this  expression  as  refer- 
ring to  the  entire  covering  of  this  monster,  I 
would  prefer  rendering  it  by  facings^  as  the  word 
faces  could  not  convey  the  proper   meaning. 

Moreover,  as  we  will  see  hereafter,  the  body  of 
this  leviathan  is  said  to  be  covered  with  shields 
closely  fastened    together ;    and    I    am    convinced 


222  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

that  here  reference  is  had  to  these  same  shields 
mider  the  name  oi  facings^  because  they  served 
to  face  the  entire  body.  We  will  see  in  the  next 
verse  that  these  separate  shields,  or  facings,  had 
doors  or  rather  heads^  and  these  heads  were  so 
tightly  fastened  that  they  could    not    be  opened. 

Consequently  I  render  *'  Who  can  strip  off  the 
facings  of  his  covering  ? "  It  is  here  clearly 
intimated  that  these  facings  formed  his  covering. 
And  to  indicate  their  tenacity  and  close  union 
together,  it  is  asked,  "Who  can  strip  them  off?" 
inferring  that  those  parts,  which  formed  the  hide 
of  this  creature,  could  not  be  as  easily  stripped 
off  as  the  scales  or  hide  of  ordinar^^  monsters. 

It  does  not  seem  to  me  possible  to  apply  this 
passage  to  the  crocodile,  as  many  do;  for,  in- 
deed, his  skin  is  very  easily  stripped  from  him, 
as  is  the  skin  of  most  animals.  It  is  a  wonder 
that  some  ingenious  commentator  did  not  think 
of  applying  this  description  to  some  monster 
turtle ;  this  verse,  at  least,  would  have  suited  it 
remarkably  well  on  account  of  this  creature's 
back  being  formed,  as  it  were,  of  numerous  pieces, 
or  small  shields,  closely  united  the  one  to  the 
other,  so  much  so  indeed,  that  they  cannot  be 
stripped  off  like  the  hide  of  an}^  other  animal. 
It  also  possesses  many  other  requisites  of  this 
description;  it  is  amphibious;  its  jaws  are  terri- 
ble; you  cannot  place  your  hand  on  its  back 
without  danger;  merchants  part  them  among 
themselves  ;  he  cares  very  little  for  arrows  and 
sling  stones,  and  cannot  be    tamed    for    maidens 


IN    THE    I500K    OF   JOB.  223 

to  play  with,  specially  those  luouster  sea-turtles, 
which  weigh  several  hundred  pounds. 

I  believe  that  such  a  turtle  could  show  as  good 
a  title  to  the  name  of  leviathan  as  the  crocodile 
or  hippopotamus. 

As  to  the  application  of  this  passage  to  the 
body  or  boiler  of  the  locomotive,  I  must  say,  that 
it  is  so  self-evident  that  it  liardly  requires  any 
further  demonstration  on  my  part.  Ever3^one 
knows  that  the  covering  of  the  boiler  is  formed 
of  numerous  iron  plates  of  uniform  size,  all  riv- 
etted  and  welded  together ;  and  that  its  general 
aspect  is  that  of  a  piece  of  work  made  of  various 
squares  like  a  checker  board,  only  its  shape  is 
tubular.  These  various  squares  or  plates  are  un- 
doubtedly the  facings  of  which  Job  tells  us  that 
the  covering  of  this  monster  was  made.  It  is 
only  in  this  light  that  we  can  fully  appreciate 
the  weight  and  propriety  of  his  question,  "Who 
can  strip  off  the  facings  of  his  covering  ? "  for 
it  is  indeed  no  easy  task  to  strip  off  these  iron 
plates  one  by  one,  as  they  are  most  firmly  riv- 
etted  and  welded  together ;  and  the  labor,  at 
times,  costs  nearly  as  much  as  the  iron  is  worth 

As  to  the  second  part  of  this  verse,  I  cannot 
say  of  it  what  I  have  said  of  the  first,  for  both 
commentators  and  translators  differ  widely.  The 
Revised  English  version  has,  "Who  shall  come 
within  his  double  bridle  ? "  The  Vulgate  has, 
"  Who  will  enter  in  the  middle  of  his  mouth  ?" 

Prof.  Lee  renders ;  "  Who  can  approach  and 
place  a  surcingle  in  his  nose  ?  " 


224  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

Gesenius  and  others  suppose  the  meaning  to 
be,  "Into  the  doubling  of  his  jaws,  who  can 
enter  ?  " 

The  Septuagint  render ;  "  Between  the  doubling 
of  his  shield  who  can  penetrate  ?  " 

Here  are  five  different  versions  of  the  same 
passage,  and  the  one  quoted  at  the  head  of  this 
chapter  makes  six,  and  no  two  of  them  are  alike, 
yet  they  have  all  been  derived  from  the  same 
original  Hebrew  words.     Which  is  right  ? 

I  naturally  hesitate  at  the  task  of  deciding 
among  so  many  learned  authors.  Yet  I  will 
venture  to  say,  that  it  seems  to  me,  that  the 
Septuagint  have  caught  the  correct  idea,  and  have 
rendered  the  meaning  of  each  word  of  the  origi- 
nal most  faithfully. 

Some  might  object  to  their  rendering  of  the 
word  (fP*?)  resen^  by  shield,  yet  I  expect  to  be 
able  to  show  that  it  is  the  correct  idea,  although 
not  the  primary  meaning  of  the  word. 

.My  own  word  for  word  translation  of  the  pas- 
sage is  this,  "  Between  the  double  lap  of  his 
binding  who  can  penetrate?" 

I  have  shown,  in  my  explanation  of  the  first 
part  of  this  verse,  that  the  body  of  this  extraor- 
dinary monster  must  have  been  formed  of  sepa- 
rate plates,  or  facings,  all  rivetted  and  welded 
together.  If  so,  these  plates  must  have  lapped 
the  one  over  the  other,  forming  a  seam,  and  in 
many  places,  where  it  became  necessary  to  "  break 
joints,"  these  plates  must  have  formed  a  double 
lap ;   and  this  is  what  I  consider  that  Job  refers 


IN    THE  BOOK    OF   JOB.  225 

to  by — the  double  lap  of  his  binding ;  or  "  the 
doubling  of  his  shield" —  as  the  Septuagint  ex- 
press it. 

Anyone  acquainted  with  the  construction  of  a 
.'^team  boiler  knows  that  the  rivetted  seams,  or 
laps,  of  the  boiler  plates  become  almost  insepar- 
able, and  really  constitute,  on  account  of  their 
double  thickness,  a  stronger  and  more  rigid  bind- 
ing, throughout  the  different  parts  of  the  entire 
surface,  than  if  the  boiler  was  made  of  one  piece. 

With  these  facts  before  us  we  can  now  fully 
comprehend  the  important  bearing  of  these  words, 
"  Who  can  strip  off  the  facing  of  his  covering  ? 
Who  can  penetrate  between  the  double  laps  of 
his  binding?" 


15 


226 


A    WONDERFUI,    DISCOVERY 


THE   DOORS   OF   HIS    ARMOR   ARE  FUEL  OF 
TERRIBLE  TEETH. 


Vers©  1-4 

V"?^ 

The  doors 

Portas 

'  ^'iP. 

of  his  facings,  (shields), 

vultus  ejus 

^0i?'? 

who  can  force  open  ? 

quis  aperiet  ? 

iTi??P 

The  circuits 

Per  gyrum 

V2^ 

©f  his  teeth  (iron  bolts) 

dentium  ejus 

tno^N 

are  formidable. 

face? 

formido. 

Who  can 

open  the  doors   of  his 

His  teeth  are 

terrible  roundabout. ' ' 


We  liave  just  seen  to  what  the  word  facings  re- 
ferred. The  same  word  must,  undoubtedly,  have 
the  same  meaning  in  this  verse.  As  I  have  shown, 
these  facings,  or  shields,  represent  the  numerous 
iron  plates  which  form  the  circular  envelope  of  the 
steam  boiler,  which  is  tubular  in  form.  Now,  ac- 
cording to  the  present  verse,  we  are  led  to  under- 
stand that  this  circular  envelope,  or  tube,  formed 
of  numerous  facings,  had  doors.  To  what  can  this 
refer  ? 

I  must  admit  that  the  solution  of  this  new 
problem  puzzled  me  for  some  time. 

All  the    translations    and  commentaries  that  I 


IN    THIC    BOOK    OI"   JOB.  22/ 

consulted  onl}''  served  to  complicate  this  seem- 
ingly hopeless  case. 

Finally  I  found  it  to  be — as  it  generally  turns 
out  when  we  once  know  how — the  simplest  thing 
in  the  world. 

In  the  previous  verse  reference  is  had  only 
to  the  construction  of  the  tubular  envelope  of  the 
boiler.  Nothing  is  said  of  the  two  heads  which 
are  necessary  to  close  up  the  ends  of  this  huge 
tube.  Now  I  find  that  it  is  these  very  heads  to 
which  Job  refers  under  the  appellation  of  doors. 
Indeed  what  are  doors,  if  not  certain  devices  for 
closing  an  opening.  In  this  instance  they  are 
large  circular  plates  of  malleable,  or  cast  iron, 
which  are  made  to  fit  closely  into  each  end  of  the 
boiler,  and  the  encircling  iron  plates,  or  facings^ 
are  firmly  secured  to  these  heads  by  means  of 
one  or  two  rows  of  sharp-headed  bolts,  the  heads 
of  which  appear  ver3^  prominently  above  the  iron 
plates.  The  lap  or  seam  of  each  iron  plate  is 
also  encircled  with  these  botts,  so  that  the  entire 
boiler  is  covered  with  furrows  of  iron  bolts. 
And  this  is  what  is  meant  by  "  the  circuits  of 
his  teeth  are  formidable;"  and  they  present  in- 
deed a  formidable  appearance. 

The  Hebrew  word  rendered  teeth,  carries  with  it, 
as  its  primary  meaning,  the  idea  of  something  sharpy 
pomted ;  hence  teeth^  and,  in  this  instance,  used 
figuratively  for  the  sharp  heads  of  iron  bolts. 

Consequently  I  translate,  verbatim  :  "  The  doors 
of  his  facings  who  can  force  open  ?  The  circuits 
of  his  teeth  are   formidable." 


228  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

It  might  be  supposed  that  if  the  expression 
doors  was  intended  to  refer  to  the  heads  of'  a 
boiler,  that  the  Lord  would  have  so  expressed 
it.  But,  probably,  the  reason  for  not  making 
use  of  the  word  heads^  instead  of  doors,  was 
because  the  reader  in  after  days  would  have 
naturally  inferred  that  this  monster  had  several 
heads,  which  would  have  greatly  complicated  the 
case,  and  given  a  most  fabulous  appearance  to 
the  whole  description. 

Moreover,  one  can  readily  perceive  that  this 
description  was  never  intended  to  be  literal ; 
and  that  the  different  parts  of  the  engine  and 
boiler  are  purposely  described  in  terms  applicable 
also  to  the  various  parts  of  some  powerful  mon- 
ster. Therefore,  words  of  double  meaning  are 
generally  used,  it  being  left  to  the  ingenuity  of 
the  reader  to  make  the  proper  application  in  its 
proper  time. 

In  this  verse  the  expression  "  the  doors  of  his 
face,"  has  been  taken  to  refer  to  the  jaws  of  a 
monster,  or  to  its  mouth,  from  its  resemblance 
to  a  door. 

This  interpretation  of  the  word  must  be  admitted 
to  be  even  less  plausible  than  the  one  which  I 
have  proposed.  It  is  more  likely  that  \{  jazvs  had 
been  here  meant  they  would  have  been  so  named. 

In  reference  to  it,  Barnes  says  :  "  The  idea  is, 
that  no  one  would  dare  to  force  open  his  mouth. 
This  agrees  better  with  the  crocodile  than  almost 
any  other  animal.  It  would  not  apply  to  the 
whale.     The    crocodile    is    armed    with    a    more 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  229 

formidable  set  of  teeth  than  almost  any  other 
animal." 

Prof  Lee,  however,  is  of  contrary  opinion,  he 
says  that  this  monster  appears  "as  if  armed 
in  this  part  (his  teeth)  with  encircling  spears. 
The  crocodile,  it  is  true,  has  teeth  and  a  mouth, 
which  will  very  well  suit  this  description.  But 
this  is  also  true  of  the  whale,  and  particularly 
of  that  genus,  which  seems  to  be  described  here. 
Of  the  whale,  one  genus  has  teeth  only  in  the 
lower  jaw,  another,  in  both  upper  and  lower." 

But  does  all  this  seem  to  explain  satisfactorily 
the  mystery  of  the  doors  of  his  faces^  {or  facings) 
which  cannot  be  forced  open?  Who  cares  about 
forcing  open  the  jaws  of  a  crocodile,  or  of  a 
whale?  The  jaws  of  an  animal  are  made  to  open 
and  shut ;  but  it  does  not  appear  to  be  the  case 
with  the  doors  of  the  leviathan.  The}^  appear 
to  be  closed  b}^  most  formidable  circuits  of  teeth, 
(iron  bolts)  that  they  may  not  be  opened.  And 
to  no  creature  does  this  apply  so  well  as  to  our 
modern  steam  dragon,  as  I  have  alreadey  ex- 
plained. 

Therefore,  I  translate  the  entire  verse:  "Who 
will  force  open  the  doors  of  his  facings?  The 
circuits  of  his  teeth  are  formidable." 


230 


A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 


HIS  STRENGTH  DEPENDS  ON  THE  EXCELLENCE 
OF  HIS  SHIELDS. 


Verse  15. 


mi<i 

His  excellence. 

glory, 

Corpus  illius 

'\^'m 

channels,  or,  courses 

quasi  scuta 

^'m 

of  shields 

fusilia 

niJiD 

closed,  shut  up 

compactum 

Dnin 

with  a  seal 

squamis  se 

•^"^S 

tightly. 

prementibus. 

"His  scales  are  his  pride,  shut  up  together  as  with  a 
close  seal . ' '  

Various  have  been  the  conjectures  concerning 
the  tme  meaning  and  reference  of  this  verse. 
In  consequence  we  are  confronted  with  a  nun;- 
ber  of  versions  differing  widely  the  one  from  the 
other. 

The  Vulgate,  quoted  above,  has :  "  His  body 
is  like  molten  shields  shut  up  tightly  with  scales 
pressing  one  upon  another." 

Umbreit  has :  "  His  back  is  of  furrowed  scales, 
shut  up  as  with  a  close  seal."  I  can  see  no 
good  reason  for  supposing  that  (^ll^JiJ  gavali 
means  here  his  hody^  or  his  hac/c^  as  rendered  in 
the  above  quotations.  Its  primary  meaning  is 
certainly    that    of  pride,  glory,    excellence.     This 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF  JOB.  23  T 

being  evidently  dependent  on  his  armor  of  closely 
pressed  shields.  Neither  can  I  admit  that  there 
is  in  the  original  any  word  which  could  be  so 
construed  as  to  show  that  only  an  idea  of 
similitude,  between  this  monster's  scales  and 
molten  shields  was,  intended  to  be  expressed.  I 
claim  they  are  represented  as  being  indeed  shields, 
or,  courses  of  shields,  and  not  like  shields. 

The  supposition  that  the  particle  of  similitude 
(D)  caph,  should  be  supplied  here,  cannot  hold 
good  when  its  presence  or  omission  is  of  such 
vast  importance  as  it  is  in  this  instance.  The 
late  Revised  English  Version  has:  " //2>  strong 
scales  are  his  pride,  shut  up  together  as  with  a 
close  seal."  The  marginal  reading  has — courses 
of  scales ;  channels  of  shields,  as  explanatory  of 
strong  scales. 

I  consider  these  marginal  readings  as  giving 
the  correct  meaning  of  the  Hebrew. 

But  I  cannot  admit  that  the  adverb  as^  should 
be  supplemented  here.  The  original  clearly 
affirms  that  these  courses  of  shields  are  closed 
and  sealed  tightly ;  which  fact  will  be  recognized 
as  being  of  great  weight  in  my  favor. 

The  primary  meaning  of  the  word  rendered 
scales,  is  tubes,  according  to  Gesenius'  Lex.  But 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  it  should  be  channels^ 
taken  from  the  idea  of  a  concave  surface,  as  a 
I'alley  w\\\q\\  the  word  also  means;  then  tubes  as 
being  made  of  many  valleys,  or  concave  surfaces. 
In  this  instance  it  means  that  the  parts  which 
constituted  this  monster's  strength,  or  excellence, 


232         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

were  numerous  shields  (plates)  like  clianuels,  or 
like  many  courses  of  shields. 

If  these  shields  were  bent  in  the  form  of  a 
channel ;  and  were,  as  stated,  all  united  together, 
with  their  convex  surfaces  outward,  they  would 
indeed,  form  a  tube.  From  all  this  we  must 
necessarily  infer  that  the  leviathan's  body  was 
tubular  in  shape,  and  covered  with  courses  of 
shields  all  united  and  sealed  tightly. 

Is  not  this  a  most  direct  reference  to  the  form 
and  construction  of  our  steam  boiler  ?  But  this 
is  not  all.  The  word  ("^1-20)  sagour  rendered  closed, 
shut  up  with  a  seal,  nia3^  have  here  a  far  more  im- 
portant meaning,  v\z.,  fastened  with  bolts. 

Gesenius,  in  his  lexicon,  referring  to  the  same 
expression  made  use  of  in  the  book  of  Joshua 
vi.  I,  says:  '*  It  seems  to  refer  to  the  gates  of 
Jericho  being  fastened  with  bolts''''  .  .  .  etc.  Here, 
then,  it  may  also  be  intended  to  indicate  that 
these  courses  of  shields  were  fastened  to  one  another 
with  bolts.  This  would  complete  the  evidence 
of  the  nature  of  these  shields,  and,  consequently, 
of  that  of  this  monster. 

In  addition  to  the  above  meaning  of  the  words, 
it  is  an  actual  fact  that  the  various  courses 
of  shields,  or  iron  plates  of  our  boilers,  are  liter- 
ally sealed  (calked)  and  pressed  down  with  an 
instrument  called  a  calker.  Nothing  could  illus- 
trate any  better  the  idea  conveyed  here  by  the 
original  word,  than  this  close  calking  of  the  plates 
of  our  steam  boilers. 

Barnes,  in    his    notes    on    this    passage,   says. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  233 

among  other  things,  that,  "  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  there  is  reference  to  the  scales  of  the 
animal,  as  having  a  resemblance  to  strong  shields 
laid  close  to  each  other.  But  there  is  consider- 
able variety  of  opinion  as  to  its  meaning  .  .  . 
The  obvious  meaning  is,  that  the  pride  or  glory 
of  the  animal,  that  on  which  his  safety  depended, 
and  which  was  the  most  remarkable  thing  about 
him,  was  his  scales^  which  were  laid  together  like 
firm  and  compact  shields,  so  that  nothing  could 
penetrate  them." 

All  commentators  have  remarked  that  there 
must  have  been  something  very  singular  about 
the  covering  of  the  leviathan's  body.  His  shields 
are  so  minutely  described  that  it  is  a  wonder  to 
me  that  some  of  our  modern  revisers  were  not 
struck  with  their  wonderful  similarity  to  the  iron 
shields  of  our  great  steam  boilers. 

The  following  is  the  meaning  of  this  verse  : 
"  His  excellence  depends  on  courses  of  shields 
closed  up  tightl}^  with  a  seal." 

What  a  comprehensive  sentence ;  and  what  un- 
expected things  it  reveals  to  us.  The  wonder  in- 
creases when  we  reflect  that  this  was  written 
centuries  ago,  when  the  language  did  not  possess 
the  technical  expressions  necessary  to  fully 
describe  the  yet  undreamed-of  discoveries  of  our 
days. 

Here  I  can  see  plainly  foretold  to  us  that  the 
excellence,  or  strength,  of  our  modern  monster, 
would  depend  on  numerous  courses  of  curved 
shields ;  and  that  these  shields  would  be  actually 


2  34  ^    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

fastened  the  one  to  the  other ;  or,  that  the  seams 
or  laps  of  these  shields  would  be  closed  up  and 
pressed  tightly  together  by  means  of  an  instru- 
ment here  called  a  seal,  and  which  seems  to  point 
out  most  directly  to  the  steel  calker  used  by 
machinists  in  our  days  for  the  very  purpose  of 
pressing  tightly  the  edge  of  one  plate  upon  the 
other.  From  these  direct  and  most  forcible  expres- 
sions of  the  original  arises  also  the  unavoidable 
inference  that  these  shields  must  have  been  of  the 
nature  of  iron. 

It  is  probably  not  generally  known ^  that  one 
of  our  latest  inventions,  in  the  manufacture  of 
boilers,  is  a  steam  riveter  which,  by  means  of 
suitable  dies,  presses  down  firmly  the  head  of  a 
bolt  as  it  is  passed  through  the  plates  which  it 
is  intended  to  fasten  together,  rendering  at  the 
same  time  the  seams  of  these  plates  air-tight. 
Now  it  is  possible  that  even  this  late  improve- 
ment is  referred  to  here  in  the  Hebrew  word 
rendered  sealed  tightly,  and  by  some,  pressed  with 
a  seal,  or  a  die. 

This  being  the  case,  I  think  that  we  might  as 
well  consider  out  of  the  race  the  numerous  con- 
testants with  which  we  started;  such  as  the  ele- 
phant, the  hippopotamus,  the  crocodile  and  the 
whale.  For  I  do  not  believe  that  any  of  them  could 
stand  having  their  skin  perforated  with  hot  iron 
bolts  and  pressed  tightly  by  a  steam  die,  as  is 
literally  the  case  with  our  fearless  iron-skinned 
monster. 

In  all  truth  we  can  say  of   our   modern  levia- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  235 

than :  "  His  excellence  drpnids  on  courses  of 
shields  closed  np  tightly  with  a  seal." 

We  may  also  render;  "  His  strength  is  the  ex- 
cellence of  his  shields  ..." 

What  will  unbelievers  answers  to  this  ?  I  am 
anxious  to  hear  from  one,  well-known,  who  not 
long  ago  expressed  himself  in  about  these  terms  : 
"  Show  me,  for  instance,  in  the  Bible,  a  prophecy 
referring  to  our  wonderful  discovery  of  steam, 
a7id  I  li-ill  believe i''' 


236 


A   WONDERFUIv   DISCOVKRY 


NOT  A  BREATH  OF  AIR  IS  ALLOWED  TO  ESCAPE 
THROUGH  HIS  SHIELD. 

Verse  16, 


-THN 

One 

Una 

"inj<? 

upon  another 

uni 

iW> 

they  will  drive,  join 

conjungitur, 

nni 

and  a  hissing,  or,  breath 

et  ne  spiraculum 

iiy-i<i 

shall  not  cry  out,  or  come 

quidem  incedit 

'  om'ji 

between  them. 

per  eas. 

' '  One  is  so  near  to  another,  that  no  air  can  come  be- 
tween them." 

At  first  sigHt,  this  verse  does  not  disclose  the 
difficulties  or  the  importance  which  it  is  found 
to  reveal  after  a  closer  investigation. 

The  old  English  version,  as  well  as  the  late 
revised  one,  has  ;  "  One  is  so  near  to  another ;  " 
which,  I  claim,  is  not  a  strict  literal  rendering, 
or  the  exact  sense  intended  to  be  conveyed  by 
the  original  words. 

By  adhering  closely  to  the  construction  of  this 
sentence,  it  would  read  ;  "One  upon  another  they 
will  join."  Or,  according  to  the  Chaldee  (^p^) 
ne/eask,  which  means  /o  smite^  to  knock ;  and  which 
is  kindred  to  the  Hebrew  word  (tJ^4?)  ?iagas,  to 
drive^  to  tcrge^  and  which  differs    from  the    pres- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  237 

ent  but  in  the  pointing,  we  would  have  "  One 
upon  another  they  will  smite,  or  knock,"  which, 
with  the  proper  English  construction  would  read : 
"They  will  drive,  or  smite  one  upon  another." 
Gesenius  says  that  the  primary  idea  of  the  He- 
brew here,  is  that  of  impinging.  Thus  the  idea, 
that  these  shields,  referred  to  in  the  previous 
\'erse,  would  be  Joinrd^  driven,  or  hammered  down 
the  one  upon  the  other  by  some  one,  is  clearly 
enunciated. 

Moreover  the  verb  being  in  the  third  person 
plural,  fut.,  this  passage  could  not  be  properly 
rendered,  "  One  is  so  near,"  nor,  "One  will  be 
joined  unto  another."  Decidedly  the  pronoun  (T) 
thevy  must  be  here  expressed ;  and  is  to  be  un- 
derstood of  persons  who  zuill  join,  or  hammer  to- 
getJier  these  strong  shields  the  one  upon  the 
other. 

The  construction  of  this  passage  is  somewhat 
similar  to  that  of  the  twentieth  verse,  fortieth 
chapter.  "  The  produce  of  the  mountains  they 
will  hrijig  forth  unto  him  ;  "  clearly  indicating, 
here  also,  that  the  people  were  to  perform  this 
act.  It  was  natural  that  the  idea,  that  the  shields 
of  this  monster  were  to  be  actually  driven  or 
hammered  together  by  somebody,  should  not  suit 
the  views  of  those  who  supposed  that  a  wild 
animal  was  here  meant,  and  that  this  form  of 
expression  was  supposed  to  have  been  intended 
to  denote  simply  the  fact  that  one  shield,  or  scale, 
lapped  tightly  over  the  other.  But  now  that 
another    powerful    competitor    is    in    the    field,  a 


238  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

serious  reflection  and  investigation  of  the  real  im- 
port of  the  words  reveal  a  more  probable  and 
quite  different  state  of  things. 

I  am  confident  that  it  will  now  be  quite  ob- 
vious to  the  unprejudiced  student  that,  direct 
reference  is  here  had  to  shields  being  made  fast 
one  upon  another  by  being  joined,  or  hammered 
tightly  together,  and  that  the  future  tense  of  the 
verb  clearl}^  indicates  that  the  action  of  driving 
or  hammering  these  shields  tightly  one  upon  an- 
other,  had  not,  at  that  time,  been  accomplished  ; 
but  that  it  would  be  at  some  future  time,  and  by 
some  persons  who  would  do  so.  This  being  the 
case,  no  further  proof  is  required  to  establish 
the  nature  of  the  so-called  leviathan,  and  to  throw 
all  other  competitors  in  the  shade. 

How  this  close  union  between  these  shields 
was  accomplished,  has  also  been  described  in  the 
previous  verse,  where  we  have  seen  that  they 
were  "closed  up  tightly  with  a  seal;"  and  that 
his  excellence,  or  strength,  depended  on  this 
close  union  of  these  parts.  All  of  which  is  as- 
tonishingly true  of  the  iron  shields  covering  the 
body  (boiler)  of  our  modern  monster ;  and  is  far 
more  easily  understood,  from  this  view  of  its  ref- 
erence, than  from  any  which  has  yet  been  pro- 
posed of  any  animal  known  to  this  day. 

As  to  the  second  member  of  this  verse,  it  will 
be  found  to  be  no  less  extraordinary  in  its  reve- 
lation than  the  first,  although  more  easily  com- 
preher^ded  and  applied.  It  is  generally  rendered, 
^'that  no  air  can  come  between  them,"  the  shields. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  239 

The  original  more  properl}^  means  that,  not  a 
k/ss,  or  breathy  will  be  allowed  to  come  or  pass 
between  them.  This  is  well  expressed  by  the 
Vnlp^ate,  "  Ne  spiracnlnm  quidem." 

From  the  wording  of  this  entire  verse  it  wonld 
appear  an  rssential^  as  well  as  a  remarkable  thing, 
in  the  leviathan,  that  his  shields  shonld  be  so 
sealed  and  so  closely  nnited  that  the  least  hiss, 
or  breath  of  air,  should  not  escape  from  between 
them.  It  seems  self  evident  that  this  hiss  of  air 
was  more  likely  to  escape  from  betiveen  the  laps 
of  these  shields  than  simply  to  come  or  enter 
through  them,  as  some  suppose.  Surel}'  we  cannot 
imagine  that  such  a  hiss  of  air  could  enter  be- 
tween the  compact  shields  of  this  monster,  or 
be  aj;  all  noticeable  if  it  did  ;  nor  have  any  con- 
sequence worth  while  noticing  if  air  did,  occa- 
sionally, pass  between  them.  Then  again  it  would 
be  more  natural  to  suppose  that  a  breath,  or  a 
particle  of  vapor,  would  be  more  likely  to  endeavor 
to  escape  fro7}i  ivithin  this  fiery  monster's  body, 
than  to  enter  it.  In  this  case  it  would  seem 
plausible  that  the  escaping  vapor  from  between 
such  tightly  pressed  shields  would  have  a  hiss- 
ing sound,  and  be  noticeable,  specially  when  he 
was  in  great  rage.  Moreover  we  have  authority 
for  the  supposition  that  such  was  indeed  the  case, 
and  that  there  was  within  this  monster's  body  a 
raging  force  which  was,  seemingly,  confined  in  it 
and  not  allowed  to  escape.  This  I  have  fully 
demonstrated  under  the  sixteenth  verse  of  the 
preceding  chapter. 


240  A    WONDHRFUI.    DISCOVERY 

If  we  reflect  for  a  moment,  we  will  certainly 
ask  ourselves,  what  kind  of  a  monster  is  this, 
which  seems  to  be  full  of  air  or  vapor,  and  that 
his  strong  shields  should  be  closely  pressed  and 
sealed  for  the  evident  purpose  of  confining  it  se- 
curely within  its  bod\'?  Air  is  not  supposed  to 
pass  through  the  hide  or  scales  of  the  most 
vulnerable  creature ;  why  then  should  it  be  men- 
tioned here  as  something  possible  and  to  be 
avoided  with  this  strongly  shielded  leviathan  ? 
Surely  there  can  be  no  allusion  here  to  the  croco- 
dile, whose  skin  is  porous,  and  whose  scales  cover 
but  a  part  of  his  body.  But  why  this  evidently 
great  force  of  air,  vapor,  or  conflicting  forces  (v.  8.), 
confined  within  the  body  of  the  leviathan  ? 

The  answer  is  dif&cult,  and  the  problean  is 
hard  to  solve,  especially  w^ien  we  try  to  apply  it 
to  any  of  the  wild  animals  which  are  claimed  to 
be  referred  to  in  this  description.  Yet,  the  prob- 
lem becomes  simple  and  easy,  when  one  looks  to 
our  iron-shielded  monster  for  a  solution.  His 
shields  are  indeed  hammered  the  one  upon  the 
other.  They  are  also  rivetted  and  sealed  tightly, 
and  all  this  for  the  very  purpose  of  preventing 
the  least  hiss  of  air  or  vapor  from  escaping  from 
between  them.  It  is  also  worthy  of  remark  that, 
until  recently,  steam  boilers,  before  leaving  the 
hands  of  the  makers,  were  always  tested  with 
compressed  air,  and  when  the  least  hiss  of  air 
was  heard  escaping  from  between  the  seams  of 
the  plates,  the  opening  was  at  once  hammered 
down    and    sealed,  and    thus,    according     to     the 


IN    THE    BOOK    (»F    JOB.  24 1 

Strictest  construction  of  the  original  words  of  this 
verse,  "They  will  drive,  or  join  one  upon  another, 
that  a  hiss  of  air  shall  not  escape  from  between 
them." 

That  this  is  the  true  meaning  of  this  passage, 
will  also  be  confirmed  by  what  is  said  in  the  next 
verse,  where  it  will  be  seen  that  these  shields  did 
not  merely  overlap  each  other  like  the  scales  of  a 
fish,  but  that  they  held  fast  to  one  another,  and 
were  actually  caught  together. 

In  reference  to  these  same  shields  we  have  seen, 
'ji  verse  thirteenth,  that  it  is  said  that  they  cannot 
be  stripped  off,  and  that  nothing  can  penetrate 
between  the  double  binding,  or  double  rivetting 
of  the  one  to  the  other. 

No  one  could  ask  for  more  conclusive  evidence 
of  the  nature  of  these  shields  ;  and  at  no  time, 
since  the  days  of  Job,  has  any  one  been  in  a  better 
position  to  judge  of  their  true  reference,  than  wv. 
are  this  day. 


i6 


242 


A    WONDERFUI     DISCOVERY 


HIS  SHIEI^DS  ARE  WELDED  TOGETHER. 


Verse  IT. 


'C^'^ 

A  man 

Una 

)n'ni<2 

to  his  brother 

alteri 

ip5T 

they  will  adhere,  cleave  fast, 

adhaerebit, 

US'?;!* 

they  will  be  caught  together 

et  tenentes  se 

^?'?^ 

and  they  will  not 

nequaquam 

nniDiT 

be  separated. 

separabuntur. 

"  They  are  joined  one  to  another,  they  .stick  together  that 
thev  cannot  be  sundered." 


As  yoii  have  noticed  above,  the  literal  rendering 
of  the  first  part  of  this  verse  is,  "A  man  to  his 
brother  shall  adhere."  A  singular  Hebraism  to 
denote  a  strong  relation  or  union  between  two  or 
more  parts.  The  Vulgate  has :  "  One  to  the 
other  shall  adhere."  Another  version  has:  "  Each 
is  attached  to  its  fellow."  I  would  again  call 
the  attention  of  the  reader  to  the  singular  fact 
that  in  this  verse,  as  in  almost  all  others,  the 
verbs  do  not  denote  that  the  action  to  which  they 
refer  was  an  accomplished  thing,  but  rather  some- 
thing which  was  yet  to  be.  Every  verb  in  this 
verse  indicates  a  future  action. 

It  is  not  said  that  the  shields  of  this  monster 
adhere^  and    are    caught    together^  but  that  "  they 


IX    TIIK    IK)OK    OF   JOB.  243 

will  adhere,  they  will  be  caught  together,  and 
they  will  not  be  separated." 

Taking  this  statement  as  it  stands,  we  are 
forced  to  conclude  that  this  creature  was  not 
then  in  existence,  but  yet  to  come. 

And  as  we  have  no  record  of  any  new  species  of 
animals,  such  as  this,  having  been  created  since 
the  deluge,  we  are  left  to  search  for  this  fiery 
and  iron-shielded  monster  among  the  possible  me- 
chanical contrivances  of  great  power  which  may 
have  appeared  on  earth  since  those  days.  In 
fact  we  will  see  hereafter  that  Job  distinctly 
speaks  of  a  nation  which  would  be  skilled  in 
raising  up  the  leviathan^  (chap.  iii.  8.)  What 
could  have  been  meant  by  these  words,  if  not 
that  some  skilled  nation  would,  some  day,  bring 
forth  this  monster  of  power,  would  raise  him  up 
and  cause  him  to  become  a  most  extraordinary 
one. 

Why  should  Job  say  that  it  would  be  a  skilful 
nation,  if  not  to  indicate  that  this  nation,  in  order 
to  be  able  to  bring  forth  this  leviathan,  would 
have  to  be  very  skilful  in  the  arts  and  sciences  ? 
Would  it  require  a  skilful  nation  to  capture  an 
alligator  or  a  hippopotamus  ? 

These  creatures  are  generally  found  in  wild 
marshy  places,  and  are  hunted  and  trapped  b}' 
the  most  illiterate  and  savage  people.  Job  does 
not  say,  a  nation  skilled  in  catching  or  killing 
him,  for  he  has  already  intimated  that  this  is 
impossible,  but  he  says  a  nation  skilful  in  raising 
him  up. 


244  A  WONDERFUL  discovp:ry 

Taking  this  word  in  the  sense  of  hatching  or 
bringing  forth^  we  can  claim  the  honor  of  raising 
thousands  of  leviathans  every  year. 

It  seems  evident  from  the  full  and  minute 
description  given  of  this  monster's  shields  that 
they  must  have  constituted  one  of  the  principal 
and  most  wonderful  features  of  his  body.  Here 
we  are  told  that  they  will  cleave  fast  to  one 
other,  and  be  caught  together,  so  much  so  that 
they  cannot  be  torn  asunder.  Moreover  yoii  will 
find  in  the  original  that  the  word  rendered,  will 
cleave  fast ;  has,  as  a  noun,  a  still  more  wonderful 
meaning  to  us,  that  of  a  soldering  or  welding  of 
metals.  Therefore  we  may  understand  this  pas- 
sage to  mean,  one  to  its  felloiu  shall  be  welded ; 
and  such  I  consider  its  real  import  to  be. 

According  to  this  the  evidence  in  favor  of  my 
views  would  be  complete.  These  shield  are  of 
iron,  they  are  fastened  together  with  iron  bolts 
(teeth).  They  are  sealed  tightly  that  no  vapor 
may  escape  from  between  them  ;  they  are  even 
welded  together  that  they  may  not  be  sundered. 

Could  one  ask  for  better  evidence? 

It  is  minute  and  circumstantial,  not  presump- 
tive. Moreover,  just  such  a  monster  as  the  above 
is  before  the  bar  this  very  day,  clad  in  all  the 
raiments  of  behemoth  and  leviathan,  and  the  im- 
partial judge  can  decide  whether  the}-  really 
belong  to  him  or  not.  But  who  will  now  pre- 
sume to  take  them  away  from  him?  He  holds 
them  fast  and  will  not  let  them  go ;  and  I  will 
defend  his  rightful  claim  to  them. 


IN 


^HE    HOOK    OF   JOB. 


245 


HIS   SNEEZINGS   WILL  BE   LIT  UP  WITH" 
BRIGHTNESS 


vnz'^iDH^^ 

His  sneezings,  or,  belchings 

Sternutatio 

^  ^^r^ 

will  cause  to  shine 

^ejus 

a  light, 

splendor  ignis, 

v:;j;i 

and  his  eyes  wil/  be 

et  oculi  ejus 

''ti:;m 

as  the  eyelashes 

ut  palpebrae 

nw' 

of  the  morning. 

diluciili. 

"By  his  ueesings  a  light  doth  shine,  and  his  eyes   are 
like  the  eyelids  of  the  morning." 


The  first  member  of  this  verse  seems  to  me 
susceptible  of  two  different  renderings,  on  account 
of  the  possibility  of  the  root  of  the  word  having 
been  either  ('?'?<7)  halal^  to  shine  ;  or  (ilT])  chalal^ 
to  pierce^  to  pollute.  Either  of  these  meanings  will 
be  found  to  agree  with  the  facts  in  the  case  here 
alluded  to. 

Taking  the  word  in  the  sense  of  to  shine.,  we 
would  have :  "  His  sneezings  will  cause  a  light 
to  shine,"  or,  according  to  the  Septuagint,  "  In 
his  sneezings  light  shineth  forth."  We  will  here- 
after notice  that  the  latter  rendering  contains  the 
true  idea;  for  it  is  not  these  sneezings  which 
cause  this  light  to  shine. 


246         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

Taken  in  the  sense  of  to  pollute^  to  obscure^  it 
would  mean :  "  His  sneezings  will  obscure  the 
light."  The  first  would  indicate  that,  when  he 
expelled  his  breath,  or  the  vapors  confined  in  his 
body,  it  caused  a  light  to  shine.  Many  suppose 
that  this  refers  to  the  crocodile  when  he  sneezes. 
But,  really,  such  a  supposition  is  ridiculous. 
Where  is  there  any  good  authority  to  support 
such  an  assertion  ? 

Who  has  ever  seen  a  light  produced  by  the 
sneezing  of  a  crocodile?  And  those  who  may 
have  heard  him  make  some  strange  noise,  are 
they  sure  that  it  might  be  called  sneezing? 
Were  they  close  enough  to  see  the  light? 

Prof.  Lee,  in  reference  to  the  supposed  light 
emitted  luJien  the  crocodile  sneezes,  says  that  he 
can  find  but  one  account  from  Aristotle,  in  which 
the  crocodile  is  said  to  sneeze,  but  not  one  tell- 
ing us  that  this  gives  out  a  light,  or  anything 
like  it. 

•  Barnes,  in  explanation,  says  :  "  Amphibious  ani- 
mals, the  longer  they  hold  their  breath  under 
water,  respire  so  much  the  more  violently  when 
they  emerge,  and  the  breath  is  expelled  suddenly 
and  with  violence."  All  this  may  be  of  animals 
in  general.  But  is  it  so  in  particular,  and  in  a 
remarkable  degree,  of  any  animal  which  has  been 
shown  to  fulfill  all  the  requisites  of  this  descrip- 
tion ?  Barnes  does  not  assert  that  the  breath 
of  any  of  these  amphibious  animals  emits  light, 
which  seems  to  be  the  very  thing  accounted  as 
wonderful  and    strange  in  the   leviathan.      Then 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  247 

would  a  mere  pbospliorescence  be  alluded  to  here 
in  such  glowiug  terms  ?  It  must  certain]}'  be  in- 
tended to  refer  to  something  extraordinar}-,  in  the 
way  of  light,  a  great  emission  of  light  every  time 
he  exhales,  or  belches. 

And  here,  who  will  not,  at  once,  be  struck  with 
the  remarkable  application  of  these  sneezings 
and  luminous  vapors,  to  the  numerous  violent 
belchings  and  puffings  of  a  steam  locomotive  ? 
Our  monster  emits  at  each  stroke  of  the  piston, 
a  volume  of  the  vapors  confined  within  him. 
These,  at  times,  carry  with  them,  flashes  of  light 
which  are  magnified  by  being  diffused  through 
the  volume  of  white  vapor  which  ascends.  Under 
these  circumstances  his  sneezings  assume  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  luminous  cloud  bursting  forth  from 
his  throat.  Are  the  supposed  sneezings  of  the 
cr<  codile  comparable  to  this  ?  Are  they  worthy 
of  such  poetic  language  ? 

I  have  stated  that  this  passage  might  also  have 
the  meaning  of — "  His  sneezings  will  obscure  the 
li^ht."  This  would  seem  to  imply  a  contradic- 
tion. It  is,  evidently,  the  reverse  of  its  unani- 
mously adopted  meaning.  Nevertheless  I  con- 
tend that  both  renderings  are  quite  applicable  t<^ 
my  leviathan. 

Who,  indeed,  does  not  witness  ever}'  day  the 
clouds  of  thick  and  black  smoke  which  he  pours 
forth,  as  by  violent  sneezings,  from  his  smoke 
stack,  and  which  literally  obscure  the  light  ?  Could 
anything  be  more  literally  true,  and  more  poeti- 
cally expressed  ?     Yes,  our  locomotive  sneezes  ter- 


248         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

rifically,  and  yet  none  of  us  knew  it  before.  But 
Job  knew  it  and  heard  it  3500  years  ago. 

Having  thus  explained  the  meaning  and  re- 
ference of  this  passage,  I  would  now  propose  a 
change  in  the  construction  which  has,  generally, 
been  adopted  in  our  translations.  The  expression, 
"His  sneezings,"  has  been  taken  to  be  the  subject 
of  the  verb  to  shine ;  the  former  is  in  the  plural, 
whilst  the  latter  is  in  the  singular.  I  consider 
that  the  word  light  is  here  intended  as  the  subject 
of  the  verb,  consequently  I  render:  "  A  light  will 
cause  his  sneezings  to  shine." 

In  explanation  of  this,  I  would  call  attention 
to  the  fact  just  referred  to  above,  and  which  can 
be  often  and  readily  witnessed  during  the  day, 
but  more  distinctly  when  it  is  dark,  that  under 
certain  circumstances,  whilst  a  locomotive  is  puff- 
ing hard,  all  at  once  a  volume  of  light  pervades 
the  whole  mass  of  vapors  around  his  head,  form- 
ing a  beautiful  luminous  cloud  above.  This  is, 
undoubtedly,  the  fact  adverted  to  here.  This 
being  the  case,  you  will  notice  that  it  is  not  the 
puffing  nor  the  vapors  which  are  the  cause  of 
this  light  shining,  but  that  it  is  a  lights  or  a 
Jiame,  entering  the  throat  of  the  stack,  which  causes 
these  vaporous  sneezings  to  shine.  Now  if  we 
revert  to  the  original  Hebrew,  we  will  find,  singu- 
larly enough,  that  the  facts  in  this  case  with  our 
locomotive  have  lead  us  to  correct  a  mistake  in 
our  tran.slations ;  and  this  is  not  the  only  instance 
of  the  kind. 

Let    us    now  see  what    can    be    meant    by    the 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  249 

second  member  of  this  verse,  which  is  rendered  : 
"  His  eyes  are  like  the  ej^elids  of  the  morning." 

Snrely  the  friends  of  the  crocodile,  and  of  "id 
omne  genus,"  will  rejoice  to  see  my  iron-shielded 
monster  evidently  cornered  here,  for  he  has  no  eyes. 

So  far  he  has  not  been  found  wanting  in  any- 
thing called  for  by  these  twenty-seven  consecutive 
verses ;  and  this  is  certainly  more  than  can  be  said 
of  any  or  of  all  of  his  opponents  put  together. 

I  am  confident  that  I  will  find  in  him  eyes 
that  will  answer  for  all  that  is  called  for  in  this 
passage.  We  are  not  told  that  he  can  see  with 
these  eyes,  but  simply  that  "  his  eyes  are  like 
the  eyelids  of  the  morning."  As  much  could  be 
said,  in  a  figurative  sense,  of  any  inanimate  thing 
having  about  its  head  large  globes  emitting  rays 
of  light  like  the  rising  sun. 

And  it  is  undoubtedly  in  this  figurative  sense — 
which  has  been  the  one  made  use  of  throughout 
this  description — that  we  are  to  view  these  eyes 
of  the  leviathan  ;  they  are  not  like  the  eyes  of 
any  other  creature,  but  they  are  h'ke  the  eyelids 
of  the  morning. 

If  we  can  ascertain  to  what  the  eyelids  of  the 
morning  refer,  we  will  then  have  an  idea  of  the 
appearance  of  these  eyes  of  the   leviathan. 

In  reference  to  this,  Barnes  sa3^s  :  "  The  '  eye- 
lids of  the  morning  '  is  a  beautiful  poetic  phrase 
quite  common  in  Hebrew  poetry." 

Gesenius  says  that  "  the  poetic  allusion  is 
specially  to  the  eyelashes,  as  a  figure  to  represent 
the  first  rays  of  dawn." 


250  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

Then  these  eyelids^  or  rather,  eyelashes,  repre- 
sent the  rays  of  the  morning  sun.  So  that  the 
peculiarity  of  these  eyes  was,  that  they  emitted 
rays  of  light  similar  to  the  rays  that  precede  the 
rising  of  the   sun. 

Certainl}'  nothing  like  this  can  be  claimed  for 
the  dim  light  of  the  eyes  of  the  crocodile. 

But  let  us  behold  in  the  distance,  during  a 
dark  night,  the  approaching  engine. 

His  tremendous  head-lights  flash  lightnings  on 
all  sides.  The  earth  fairly  shines  before  him  as 
it  does  before  the  rising  sun.  His  path  is  fast 
lit  up  in  advance  by  the  flashing  rays  of  these 
searching  ej'es  whose  quivering  lids  seem  to  ex- 
pand as  they  approach,  spreading  awe  and  terror 
among  the  beasts  of  the  forests  and  of  the  fields, 
even  inspiring  man  with  a  sense  of  dread  at  his 
fearless  and  majestic  looks. 

Yes,  indeed,  our  leviathan  has  a  most  beautiful 
eye,  and  flashes  of  light  proceed  from  it  like  unto 
the  rays  of  the  rising  sun. 

This  is  surely  a  strange  exhumation  of  a  won- 
derful and  long-lost  mastodon.  We  have  found  his 
eyes  with  their  full  primitive  brightness,  and  have 
just  discovered  that  he  sneezes  terrifically.  Here, 
indeed,  is  what  the  great  Seer,  Job,  said  of  him : 
"  A  light  will  cause  his  sneezings  to  shine  and 
his  eyes  will  be  as  the  eyelashes  of  the  morning." 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB. 


251 


SPARKS  OF   FIRE   LEAP    FORTH  FROM 
HIS  MOUTH. 


V56 

From  his  mouth 

De  ore  ejus 

nn^sb 

flames,  or,  flaming  torches 

lampades 

iD^n^. 

■will  leap  forth, 

procedunt, 

nr}'^ 

sparks 

sicut  tedae 

m 

of  fire,  or,  glowing  sparks 

ignis 

J  1D|?Dn» 

will  slip  themselves  away. 

acoensae. 

"Out  of  hi 

3  mouth  go  burning  lamps, 

and  sparks  of  fire 

leap  out. ' ' 

The  reading  of  the  Vulgate,  a.s  you  notice  above, 
would  lead  us  to  suppose  that  the  original  did 
not  refer  to  real  flames,  and  sparks  of  fire ;  but 
that  all  this  was  spoken  of  figuratively,  and  that 
really  it  was  only  something  resembling  flames 
and  glowing  sparks  which  was  emitted  from  the 
mouth  of  this  monster.  Therefore,  I  would  call 
your  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  particle  of 
similitude  O)  caph^  as^  does  not  appear  in  the 
original  ;  neither  can  I  grant  that  it  necessarily 
requires  to  be  supplied. 

I  accept  the  statement  as  it  stands,  and  render : 
"  Out  of  his  mouth  will  leap  forth  flaming  torches, 
and  glowing  sparks  will     slip  themselves  away." 


252  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

As  you  will  notice,  these  flaming  torches  and 
glowing  sparks  are  not  said  to  proceed  from  this 
creature's  nostrils,  but  from  his  mouth.  Con- 
sequently, the  argument  of  those  who  suppose 
that  certain  animals  are  here  referred  to,  because 
from  their  nostrils  proceeds  at  times  a  hot  and 
inflamed  breath,  cannot  hold  good.  For  it  is 
distinctly  mentioned  that  these  flames  and  sparks 
of  fire  come  from  his  mouth.  Very  few  animals 
breathe  through  their  mouth.  But  the  leviathan 
seems  to  do  so  with  a  terror. 

I  consider  the  word  mouth  as  being  here  only 
a  poetic  expression,  and  may  refer  to  any  aper- 
ture serving  the  purposes  of  a  mouth,  either  to 
inhale  or  exhale. 

In  this  sense  we  often  say  "  the  mouth  of  a  gun." 
This  case  is  almost  identical  with  the  one  referred 
to  in  this  verse,  viz.,  a  large  opening  through 
which  pour  forth  fire  and  smoke  ;  the  smoke-stack. 

To  those  who  might  object  to  taking  the  word 
mouth  in  a  poetic  or  figurative  sense,  and  then 
to  giving  a  literal  meaning  to  the  words  rendered 
flames  and  sparks  of  fire,  I  would  say  that  the 
original  word  has  the  meaning  of  mouthy  aperture^ 
orifice^  or  large  opening.  All  of  which  can  be 
applied  to  animate  as  well  as  to  inanimate  things. 
Umbreit  renders,  jaws ;  others,  his  throat.  The 
writings  of  our  greatest  authors  are  filled  with 
poetic  and  figurative  expressions.  Yet  one  would 
be  considered  demented  who  would  insist  on  in- 
terpreting their  entire  works  either  literally  or 
figuratively.     "  In  medio  stat  virtus." 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  255 

The  plan  of  this  description  seems  to  be  this. 
To  various  parts  and  peculiarities  of  a  compli- 
cated piece  of  mechanism,  are  given,  in  a  poetic 
way,  the  names  common  to  some  similar  parts 
or  attributes  found  in  animals.  Its  bars  of  iron, 
which  constitute  its  frame-work,  are  represented 
as  the  bones  which  constitute  the  main  structure 
of  an  animal,  therefore  it  is  said  "its  bones  are 
bars  of  iron."  Its  numerous  iron  shields  are 
likened  to  the  impenetrable  scales  of  some  aquatic 
monster.  A  tubular  boiler,  which  is  its  vital 
part,  iDecomes  its  body. 

It  has  a  large  flue,  or  opening,  through  which 
it  pours  forth  smoke,  flames  and  glowing  sparks 
of  fire,  as  described  here,  and  this  opening  is 
likened  to  the  mouth  of  a  dragon.  It  pours  out 
of  its  mouth  real  flames  and  sparks  of  fire;  but 
as  there  is  nothing  in  animals  to  which  these 
can  be  likened,  they  are  plainly  mentioned  as 
being  real^  and  not  like  sparks,  or  like  anything 
else.  His  head-lis^hts  can  be  likened  to  the  eyes 
of  a  monster,  and  you  find  them  represented  as 
such.  He  possesses  a  terribly  destructive  power, 
and  this  we  find  designated  by  a  sword,  the 
recogized  emblem  of  destruction.  His  body  is 
filled  with  boiling  water ;  but  as  there  is  nothing 
in  animals  to  which  it  could  be  intelligibly 
likened,  it  is  indicated  by  the  vapors  of  a  boiling 
pot  issuing  from  his  nostrils,  as  we  will  see  in 
the  next  verse.  He,  at  times,  has  a  very  long 
and  extended  tail, .  made  up  of  various  parts 
linked  the  one  to  the  other.     On  account  of  this 


254         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

be  is  likened  to  an  enormous  serpent.  As  he  is 
full  of  fire  and  runs  swiftly,  he  is  very  appropri- 
atel}'  called  a  fiery  flying  serpent.  Yea,  it  is  he, 
the  linked  monster  of  Job. 

It  is  evident  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the 
Lord  who  revealed  this,  to  leave  it  to  our  in- 
genuity to  find  out,  in  its  proper  time,  to  what 
it  all  referred.  You  have  already  seized  the  mean- 
ing and  reference  of  this  beautiful  verse. 

Indeed,  how  often  have  you  not  witnessed  the 
flaming  torches  and  glowiiig  sparks  of  fire  leap- 
ing forth  from  the  throat  of  the  engine  as  he 
speeds  on  like  a  flaming  meteor,  or  monster  dragon, 
emitting  "  unquenchable  fire "  from  his  throat, 
and  hot  vapors  from  his  angry  nostrils. 

The  reader  can  fully  realize  how  strikingly 
the  following  words  of  Job  apply  to  our  own 
fiery  monster :  "Out  of  his  mouth  will  leap  forth 
flaming  torches,  and  glowing  sparks  will  slip 
themselves  away." 

"You  will  notice  how  accurately  are  described, 
in  the  last  part  of  this  verse,  the  escaping  sparks 
from  au  engine.  The}?-  are  represented  as  silently 
and  hurriedly  slipping  themselves  away  from  their 
place  of  confinement.  Can  those  who,  so  far, 
may  have  doubted  of  the  reference  of  this  de- 
scription, refuse  here  to  acknowledge  this  irrefuta- 
ble evidence  of  the  nature  of  this  monster  ?  Can 
their  imagination  furnish  another  monster  that 
can  fulfill,  so  literall}'-,  the  extraordinary  things 
here  alluded  to  ? 

Yet,  it    is    so    strange,  so    unexpected,    and   so 


IN    THE    HOOK    OF   JOH.  255 

incomprehensible  to  some,  that  a  steam  locomo- 
tive should  have  been  described  in  the  Bible  so 
long  ago,  that  the}-  zvill  not  see  these  flaming 
sparksy  although  they  blow  in  their  eyes  e\ery  day 
from  the  very  throat  of  the  leviathan  himself 

But,  such  men,  though,  can  see  clearly  just 
such  flaming  and  glowing  sparks  escaping  from 
the  mouth  of  a  crocodile,  or  from  that  of  some 
fiery  antediluvian  mastodon  which,  unluckily, 
was  never  seen,  except  in  their  own  imagination, 
where  it  was  born. 

Let  no  one  lose  sight  of  the  original,  and  grasp 
at  a  shadow.  '■ 


R56 


A    WONDERFUJ^    DISCOVERY 


HOT  VAPORS  WIIX  IvSSUE  FORTH  FROM  HIS 
NOSTRUMS. 


Verse  20. 


'7n^o 

From  his  nostrils 

De  naribus  ejus 

N?' 

will  go  forth 

procedit 

m 

smoke 

fumus 

IHD 

as /rovt  a  kettle 

sicut  oUae 

msj 

boilinj^ 

succensae 

•I^AN*"! 

or  a  heated  caldron. 

atque  ferventis. 

ut  of  his 
dron." 

nostrils  goeth  smoke, 

as  out  of  a  seething  po 

This  is,  undoubtedly,  one  of  the  most  extraor- 
dinary and  important  verses  of  this  description. 
The  fact  cannot  be  avoided  that  the  generation  of 
steam  by  means  of  a  heated  caldron,  is  alluded 
to.  Another  singular  fact  is,  that  the  Septuagint 
clearly  state  that  the  fire  was  made  with  anthra 
cite,  (coal). 

There  is  no  essential  difference  between  the 
various  renderings  of  this  verse.  All  agree  that, 
from  the  nostrils  of  the  leviathan  went  forth  smoke 
similar  to  that  which  issues  from  a  boiling  kettle, 
or  caldron. 

The  Vulgate  renders:  "Out  of  his  nostrils  goes 
forth  smoke  as  of  a  kettle  heated  and  boiling." 

A  Revised    English    version    has:    "From  his 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  257 

nostrils  goes  forth  smoke,  like  a  kettle  with  kindled 
reeds." 

There  is  but  one  word  in  this  verse  which,  on 
account  of  its  ambiguity,  has  caused  translators 
and  commentators  to  differ.  It  is  (p^ij?)  agemon^ 
which  means  a  heated  caldron^  and  also  a  reed,  etc., 
as  explained  in  a  previous  verse.  On  account  of 
the  different  meanings  of  this  word,  this  verse  is 
susceptible  of  being  rendered  :  "  From  his  nostrils 
will  go  forth  smoke  as  from  a  boiling  pot  ablaze 
with  reeds,  or,  as  from  a  boiling  pot  or  heated 
caldron." 

Still  its  most  literal  rendering,  'as  well  as  its 
most  appropriate  meaning,  would  appear  to  be  the 
following  :  "  From  his  nostrils  will  go  forth  smoke 
as  from  a  boiling  kettle  and  reed  ;"  that  is,  a  boil- 
ing kettle  having  to  it  a  hollow  reed  or  spout. 

The  idea  intended  to  be  conveyed  here  would 
seem  to  be  that,  steam  would  issiie  from  the  nos- 
trils of  this  monster  as  from  the  spout  of  a  boiling 
kettle. 

We  have  seen  in  the  previous  verse  that  the 
word  mouth  was  made  use  of,  in  a  figurative  sense, 
to  denote  a  large  opening  through  which  escaped 
flames  and  sparks  of  fire ;  and  that  this  aperture 
corresponded  exactly  to  the  one  in  the  smoke-stack 
of  an  engine,  through  which  often  escapes  flaming 
torches,  and  a  volume  of  glowing  sparks. 

Now  we  are  told  that  this  monster  had  nostrils. 

Undoubtedly  here,  as  in  the  previous  verse,  these 
nostrils  must  be  taken  in  a  figurative  sense,  and 
as  referring  to  certain  apertures  which  seemed  to 


^5^  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

answer  the  purpose  of  nostrils,  viz.,  openings 
through  which  one's  breath  can  escape. 

There  are  mainly  two  such  nostrils,  or  openings, 
in  a  locomotive,  viz.,  the  two  pipes  which  carry 
off  the  exhaust  steam  from  the  steam  cylinders. 
This  exhaust  takes  place  after  each  stroke  of  the 
piston.  Consequently,  when  an  engine  is  work- 
ing, a  continual  exhaling  of  steam  takes  place 
through  these  exhaust  pipes.  Nothing  could  be 
more  appropriately  called  the  nostrils  of  an  engine, 
when  the  purpose  they  answer  is  taken  into  con- 
sideration. Taking  the  two  steam  chests  as  the 
lungs  of  this  creature,  we  have  a  continual  breath- 
ing or  inhaling  and  exhaling  of  vapor  taking- 
place  through  these  mechanical  lungs ;  and  the 
exhaust  vapor  escaping  through  its  natural  out- 
lets, just    as    it    occurs    in    the    animal    system. 

Here  then  we  find,  very  unexpectedly,  a  beauti- 
ful and  very  appropriate  comparison  of  these  arti- 
ficial parts  of  the  engine,  to  the  breathing  organs 
of  a  living  creature. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Job  informs  us  also  that 
through  these  nostrils  will  escape  smoke  as  from  a 
kettle  heated  and  boilings  or,  as  from  the  spout  of 
a  boiling  kettle.  Is  not  this  a  most  direct  and 
astonishing  reference  to  steam.  What  is  the  smoke 
which  issues  from  a  kettle  heated  and  boilings  if 
not  steam  f 

Here  also  we  find  a  direct  allusion  to  a  steam 
boiler.  Really  this  was  all  that  was  wanting  to 
confirm  the  views  I  have  entertained  all  along, 
that  this  description  referred  to  our  modern  iron- 
clad steam  monster. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  259 

Some  may  insist  that  these  vapors  are  only 
likened  to  those  which  issue  from  a  boiling  kettle. 
Therefore  it  may  be  well  to  call  the  reader's  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that,  there  exists,  in  the  original, 
no  such  comparison  ;  but  the  plain  statement  that 
smoke  came  from  the  leviathan's  nostrils  as  from 
the  spout  of  a  boiling  kettle.  Not  only  can  we 
infer  from  this  that  it  was  steam,  but  also,  that  it 
issued  from  this  monster's  nostrils  through  some 
pipes  resembling  the  spout  of  a  kettle.  Very  likely 
an  allusion  is  here  made  to  the  exhaust  pipes. 

We  can  now  full}^  realize  that  the  power  which, 
was  said  to  be  located  inside  of  this  monster's 
flank  (chap.  xl.  i6)  must,  indeed,  have  been  steam ; 
that  same  destructive  power  which  is  represented 
by  a  sword,  and  which  is  to  be  applied  to  it  by 
the  one  who  makes  him.  Evidently  it  is  also  the 
same  force  which  spreads  him  asimder  when  his 
confidence  is  deceived,  as  we  have  seen  under  verse 
the  ninth. 

There  is  but  one  thing  more  required  to  com- 
plete the  evidence.  It  is  the  proof  that  this  steam 
was  not  the  exhaled  vapors  from  the  body  of  an 
animal,  but  was  generated  by  fire. 

And  this  proof  will  be  found  in  the  next  verse, 
where  there  is  most  positive  evidence  of  a  glow- 
ing fire  of  coals  being  constantly  kept  up  by 
drafts  of  air. 

The  Septuagint,  in  their  rendering  of  the  verse 
under  consideration,  give  furnace  instead  boiling 
caldron;  and  what  is  more  extraordinary,  add, 
that  the  fire  was  made  of  anthracite,   (coal). 


26o  A   WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

They  render  the  entire  verse  as  follows  :  "  From 
his  nostrils  pours  forth  smoke  of  a  furnace  heated 
with  a  fire  of  coals."  Another  singular  fact  in 
this  rendering  is,  that  they  do  not  say  that  this 
smoke  was  like  the  smoke  of  a  furnace,  but  they 
directly  assert  that  the  smoke,  which  came  from 
the  nostrils  of  this  monster,  was  actually  the 
smoke  from  a  furnace  or  caldron  heated  with  coals. 

This  confirms  me  in  my  opinion  that  the  writers 
of  the  Septuagint  were  fully  aware  that  this  de- 
scription applied  to  some  mechanical  contrivance, 
and  not  to  any  living  animal.  Otherwise  they 
would  not  have  asserted  here  that  the  smoke 
from  a  furnace,  heated  with  a  fire  of  coals,  passed 
through  his  nostrils.  Surely  this  is  an  important 
and  astonishing  verse. 

No  more  conclusive  evidence  in  favor  of  my 
views  could  be  expected.  Now  when  we  behold 
our  raging  steed  approaching  with  distended  nos- 
trils and  angry  breath,  we  will  realize  the  full 
force  and  reference  of  these  words  of  Job ;  "  Out 
of  his  nostrils  will  issue  forth  smoke  as  out  of 
a  pot  or  caldron." 


IN    THE   BOOK   OF  JOB. 


261 


HIS  INHAI.INGS  GIVE  LIFE  TO  BURNING  COALS. 

Versd   21. 


itro4 

His  inhaling  (breath) 

Halitus  ejus 

°'"?.™ 

burning  coals 

prunas 

^rp_r) 

will  vivify,  will  kindle  ; 

ardere  facit  ; 

Dn'^i 

and  a  flame 

et  flamma 

V3P 

from  his  mouth 

de  ore  ejus 

:Nr 

will  leap  out. 

egreditur. 

"His  breath  kindleth  coals,  and  a  flame  goes  out  of 
his  mouth."  

With  the  exception  of  the  Septuagint,  most 
versions  render  the  first  word  of  this  verse  by 
Az's  breath.  But  it  has  also  the  meaning  of  in- 
haling;  and  there  are  many  reasons,  as  will  be 
seen  hereafter,  for  supposing  that  this  is  the 
sense  in  which  it  is  intended  here.  I  consider 
also  that  the  word  rendered  to  kindle^  has  a 
more  appropriate  meaning  in  this  instance,  which 
is  to  vivify^  to  enliven. 

There  is  quite  a  difference  between  kindling  a 
fire^  and  vivifying  or  enlivening  it  with  the  breath 
after  it  is  kindled.  In  the  first  instance  it  is 
an  impossibility.  No  one's  breath  can  ki7idle  or 
set  fire  to  coals.  But  it  is  possible  to  add  life 
to,  or  vivify  coals  already  kindled,  b}'  blowing  on 


262  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY. 

them.  Evidently  this  is  the  distinction  to  be 
made  here.  Therefore  I  render :  "  His  inhaling 
will  vivify  burning  coals." 

As  to  the  supposed  reference  of  this  passage 
to  an  animal,  I  would  say  that  I  am  not  aware 
that  any  of  our  great  scientific  investigators  or 
naturalists  have,  as  yet,  discovered  any  animal 
whose  breath  had  the  power  of  causing  coals  to 
glow  with  flames. 

It  is  well  understood  that  the  air  exhaled  from 
the  lungs  of  any  living  creature,  has  lost  its 
oxygen,  the  very  principle  of  life  of  the  fire,  and 
consequently  could  not,  as  here  interpreted,  set 
coals  on  fire. 

What  kind  of  a  creature,  then,  is  this  ?  And 
why  should  it  have  any  occasion  to  set  coals  on 
fire?  Surely  it  must  be  a  fiery  dragon;  even  a 
flame  leaps  from  his  mouth. 

Commentators,  in  general,  are  very  reticent 
about  the  meaning  and  reference  of  this  impor- 
tant passage.  All  that  Barnes  ventures  to  say 
about  it  is  :  "  It  seems  to  be  a  flame,  and  to  set 
on  fire  all  around  it." 

Prof  Lee  supposes  that  the  expression  here 
may  be  intended  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  fiery 
character  of  his  disposition.  But  the  reader  will  at 
once  notice  that  this  does  not  explain  the  appear- 
ance here  of  these  coals  of  fire.  It  is  not  only  to 
be  inferred  from  the  words  of  this  passage  that 
now  and  then  a  flame  escapes  from  his  mouth, 
but  it  must  be  noticed  and  accounted  for  that  his 
actual  breathy  or  mhali7igy  "  kindleth  coals." 


IN   THE   BOOK    OF  JOB.  263 

There  are  very  few  wild  animals  that  will  not 
flee  from  fire.  But  it  would  seem  that  this  one 
even  consumed  coals  of  fire. 

The  Septuagint  goes  still  further  than  this, 
for  it  says  that  its  very  soul,  its  very  life  is  burn- 
ing   coals '11   'iv,<,/  ar-nvavUpantr." 

Really,  this  creature  would  seem  to  be  the 
ancient  Chimera  whose  breathing  was  unquench- 
able fire. 

The  reader  will  take  particular  notice  that  the 
direct  meaning  of  the  original  cannot  be  explained 
away,  in  this  instance,  by  saying  that  probably  it 
means  that  his  breath  was  like  coals  of  fire ;  for 
the  original  is  most  emphatic  and  clear,  and  can 
leave  no  doubt  that,  by  some  means  or  other,  the 
monster  here  referred  to,  made  use  of  his  inhalings 
to  vivify  burning  coals  of  fire. 

It  is  useless  for  commentators  to  try  to  tone 
this  passage  down  to  suit  their  views  of  its 
reference.  They  can  afford  no  satisfactory  ex- 
planation when  they  apply  it  to  any  known  animal. 

To  the  well-known  saying  that,  where  there  is 
so  much  smoke  there  must  be  some  fire  ;  I  would 
add,  that,  where  there  is  so  much  fire  and  raging 
flames  there  cannot  be  much  animal  life. 

This  extraordinary  passage  suits,  in  a  most 
remarkable  manner,  the  habits  of  our  American 
leviathan — the  locomotive. 

Its  inhalings  are  the  drafts  of  air  which,  in 
passing  through  the  furnace,  vivify  its  burning 
coals.  This  draft  is  as  essential  to  it  as  it  is  to 
our  common    fire-places.     The  draft    of  the  loco- 


264  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

motive  was  an  ingenious  discovery.  It  is  caused 
by  the  exhausted  steam  from  the  cylinders  being 
made  to  rush  through  the  centre  of  the  smoke- 
stack, and  thus,  carrying  with  it,  not  only  a 
volume  of  air  and  smoke,  but  often  the  very 
flames  from  the  furnace.  And  this  latter  fact  is 
undoubtedly  what  is  adverted  to  in  the  second 
member  of  this  verse,  "  a  flame  issues  forth  from 
its  mouth." 

They  who  suppose  that  this  entire  description 
should  apply,  literally,  to  some  animal,  will  find 
in  this,  and  in  the  two  preceding  verses,  a  fair 
field  for  displaying  their  knowledge  and  talent, 
by  discovery  or  pointing  out  to  us  an}'  animal, 
known  to  have  existed  upon  this  earth,  to  which 
these  verses  can  be  applied  literally. 

On  the  other  hand  they  will  soon  discover 
that,  so  far,  its  most  direct  and  literal  application 
is  to  our  modern  iron  monster,  full  of  flames 
and  coals  of  fire  which  he  indeed  keeps  ablaze  b}- 
the  inhaling  of  his  breath. 

Let  those  who  will  not  believe  deny,  if  possi- 
ble, the  fact  that,  our  locomotive  fulfills,  in  a  most 
literal  and  poetic  sense,  all  the  requirements  of 
the  above  verses.     I  will  repeat  them  here  : 

"  Out  of  his  mouth  will  leap  forth  flaming 
torches,  and  glowing  sparks  wall  scatter  themselves 
along." 

"  From  his  nostrils  will  issue  forth  smoke  as 
from  a  boiling  pot  or  caldron." 

"His  inhaling  will  vivify  burning  coals,  and 
a  flame  will  leap  forth  from  his  mouth." 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB. 


2b- 


DESOI.ATE  PLACES  WILE  REJOICE  AT  HIS 
PRESENCE. 


Verse  22. 


iiNi^;3 

Within  his  ueck 

In  coUo  ejus 

i^^: 

will  abide 

morabitur 

^^ 

might,  or  strength, 

fortitudo 

VJ£)'71 

and  at  his  presence 

et  faciem  ejus 

Pin 

shall  rejoice,  dance 

with  joy 

praecedit 

:  HDjii 

a  desolation,  want. 

egestas. 

"In  his  neck  remaineth  strength,  and  sorrow  is  turned 
into  joy  before  him." 

It  is  only  in  its  application  to  the  steam  engine 
that  we  can  realize  the  full  force  and  the  rich 
conception  of  genius  contained  in  this  verse.  I 
find  its  true  meaning  to  be  this  :  *'  Might  will  abide 
within  his  neck,  and  a  desolation  shall  dance  with 
joy  at  his   presence." 

Could  the  ideas  contained  in  this  verse  be  more 
poetically  expressed.  Might  and  power  are  re- 
presented as  having  established  their  dwelling 
within  his  neck.  That  is  to  say,  that  he  alone, 
among  all  other  contrivances  of  power,  possesses 
the  greatest  and  most  practical  principles  of 
power ;    they  naturally  dwell  within  him. 

To  what  an  eminent  degree  this  is  true  of  the 


266         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

Steam  engine,  can  only  be  fully  appreciated  when 
we  liave  had,  (i)  an  opportunity  of  realizing  what 
a  tremendous  power  steam  can  exert.  (2)  When 
we  have  calculated  the  enormous  amount  of  work 
it  has  accomplished  within  its  brief  career;  and 
the  herculean  tasks  it  performs  each  day. 

It  is  estimated  that,  in  the  United  States,  the 
force  equivalent  to  the  working  steam  engines  is 
seven  millions  five  hundred  thousand  horse-power. 
In  England,  seven  millions  horse-power.  In  Ger- 
many, four  and  a  half  millions.  In  France,  over 
three  millions.  In  Austria,  a  million  and  a  half. 
To  this  must  be  added  the  motive  power  of  the 
locomotives,  which  is  estimated  to  be  three  mill- 
ions horse-power.  This  alone  gives  us  the  enor- 
mous total  of  twenty-six  millions  horse-power. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  number  of  locomotives, 
in  all  the  world,  is  one  hundred  and  five  thous- 
and. And  all  these  figures  are  constantly  in- 
creasing. Was  there  ever  a  creature  on  earth, 
whose  power  and  importance  could  be  at  all  com- 
pared with  those  of  steam  ?  Indeed  of  him  alone 
could  it  have  been  said,  "He  is  king  over  all 
conceptions  of  power,"  and,  "might  hath  its  dwell- 
ing within  his  neck." 

The  second  member  of  this  verse,  which  is 
rendered,  "Sorrow  is  turned  into  joy  before  him;" 
has  suffered  a  great  deal  at  the  hands  of  com- 
mentators. It  may  be  rendered,  "  Desolation  fleeth 
at  his  presence,  or,  a  desolate  place  rejoiceth,  or 
danceth  with  joy,  at  his  presence." 

How  grand  and  sublime  this  divine  conception 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  267 

appears,  when  its  birth  is  traced  to  the  powerful 
influence  of  our  fleet-footed  giant  in  changing  a 
wilderness  into  a  place  of  rejoicing  abundance. 
Is  there  want  or  distress  in  a  desolated  place — 
there  the  engine,  with  giant  strides,  carries  abun- 
dance of  provisions  and  help,  and  virtually  causes 
those  who  were  in  want  and  distress  to  dance 
and  rejoice  at  his  presence.  He  causes  the  very 
deserts  and  rocks  to  be  inhabited  ;  and  wild  and 
distant  lands  to  rejoice  and  bloom  with  vegetation. 

Villages  and  large  cities  spring  up,  as  if  by 
enchantment,  from  each  of  his  footsteps.  His 
arms  are  extended  to  all  nations  alike ;  and  he 
causes  want  and  distress  to  flee  from  before  him. 

The  reader  can  well  understand  how  difficult  it 
was  for  expositors  to  reconcile  these  wonderful 
attributes  with  their  preconceived  notions  of  the 
reference  of  this  description  to  a  most  terrible 
and  ferocious  wild  monster,  for  he  would  be  more 
likely  to  spread  terror  and  devastation  wherever 
he  passed,  than  to  cause  rejoicings  at  his  presence. 

Consequently  most  writers  looked  upon  the  word 
rendered  to  flee^  to  dance ^  as  meaning  to  flee  or  to 
dance  through  fear,  instead  of  ivant  fleetJi  fro7)i 
before  Jiini^  or,  a  desolation  rejoice th  at  his  presence. 
The  latter  is  the  meaning  which  I  consider  is 
intended  in  this  instance.  It  is  the  meaning  given 
to  it  in  old  English  versions,  but  not  followed  in 
the  last  Revised  Edition,  which  has,  "Terror 
danceth  before  him." 

The  Vulgate  has,  "  Want  goeth  before  his 
face."     Barnes  says,  "The  sense    is,  that  'terror 


268  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

dances  before  him'  ...  as  if  terror  played  or 
pranced  along  wherever  he  came."  This  could 
be  easily  construed  to  apply  to  the  terror  which 
the  locomotive  inspires  in  all  wild  animals,  but 
it  is  certainly  not  the  meaning  of   the    original. 

All  can  now  recognize  the  propriety  and  beautj" 
of  this  passage,  when  applied  to  our  monster  of 
power,  and  to  his  great  capacities  for  causing  a 
desolate  place  to  rejoice,  and  want  to  flee  at  his 
presence. 

To  what  other  can  these  words  be  applied  with 
more  propriety? 

Indeed,  "Might  hath  its  dwelling  within  his 
neck,  and  a  desolation  shall  dance  with  joy  at  his 
presence." 


IN    THE  BOOK    OF  JOB. 


269 


HIS  MEMBERS  ARE  SEPARABLE. 


Verse  23. 


'^^9 

The  detachable,  or  separable  parts 

Membra 

"'l^^rl 

of  his  body,  flesh 

caruium  ejus 

ipDl 

are  joined,  connected  together; 

cohaerentia  sibi ; 

piv; 

it  will  cleave  fast,  be  cast 

mittet  contra 

V?^ 

upon  him  ; 

eum  fulmiua, 

-'75 

nothing 

et  ad  locum 

:  DID^ 

will  be  loose,  or,  shaky. 

alium  non  ferentu 

"The  flakes  of  his  flesh  are  joined  together;  they    are 
firm  in  themselves  ;  they  cannot  be  moved." 


This  verse  has  proved  a  puzzle  to  all  those 
who  have  labored  to  apply  it  either  to  the  croco- 
dile or  to  the  whale. 

If  the  original  were  to  be  understood  as  alluding 
to  the  flakes  of  his  flesh,  as  the  above  rendering 
has  it,  these  flakes  would  then  have  to  be  con- 
sidered as  the  scales  or  shields  of  this  monster's 
body.  But,  evidently,  these  cannot  be  meant,  as 
in  that  sense,  this  verse  would  become  an  exact 
repetition  of  what  has  already  been  said,  in  verse 
seventeenth,  concerning  these  shields,  viz.,  "  One 
will  cleave  fast  unto  another,  the}^  will  be  united 
together  that  they  cannot  be  sundered."     In  view 


270        A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

of  this,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that'''  the  words  of 
this  verse  could  not  have  been  intended  to  refer 
to  the  scales  or  shields  of  the  leviathan,  but  to 
other  parts  adhering  to  his  flesh.  By  the  word 
flesh  may  be  understood  the  exterior  covering 
of  his  body ;  or  it  may  be  intended  to  indicate 
that  it  was  not  his  internal  parts  which  were  here 
meant,  but  some  exterior  ones,  those  made  fast 
to  his  flesh. 

Albert  Barnes,  in  reference  to  the  first  word 
of  this  verse,  says :  "  The  Hebrew  word  here 
used  means  anything  fallmg^  or  peiidulons^  and 
the  reference  here  is,  probably,  to  the  pendulous 
parts  of  the  flesh  of  the  animal ;  the  flabby  parts  ; 
the  dew-laps.  In  animals  commonly  those  parts 
about  the  neck  and  belly  are  soft,  pendulous,  and 
contribute  little  to  their  strength.  The  meaning 
here  is,  that  in  the  leviathan,  instead  of  being  thus 
flabby  and  pendulous,  they  were  compact  aud 
firm.  This  is  strikingly  true  of  the  crocodile." 
.  I  cannot  admit  this  to  be  the  correct  meaning 
of  the  word  in  this  instance.  Neither  can  this 
passage  be  properly  applied  to  the  crocodile. 

If  the  word  under  consideration  (P^"^)  refers 
to  the  pendulous  and  flabby  parts  of  the  levia- 
than's flesh,  then  there  is  an  evident  contradic- 
tion between  the  two  members  of  this  verse,  as 
now  applied ;  for  in  the  second  hemistich  it  is 
said  that  all  is  made  fast  to  him,  so  much  so 
that  nothing  will  be  loose  nor  shaky. 

In  the  face  of  this,  how  could  those  parts  be 
said  to  be  pendulous  and  flabby  ? 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  27 1 

If  they  are  said  to  be  such,  how  can  they, 
according  to  the  above  author's  own  words,  be 
intended  to  mean  that  "  they  were  compact  and 
firm"?  And  how  can  he  apply  these  words  to 
the  crocodile,  when  he  admits  that  there  is  no  part 
of  his  flesh  which  exhibits  any  of  these  character- 
istics ? 

If  this  passage  refers  to  the  flesh  or  skin  of 
an  animal,  it  is  diflicult  to  understand  how  it 
can  be  said  that  nothing  about  it  can  move  or 
shake.  In  the  other  sense  of  these  words,  I  can 
repeat  with  Prof.  Lee  :  "Is  it  not  absurb  to  say 
that  the  lax  and  pendulous  flesh  of  an}'-  animal 
is  hard  and  immovable,  as  our  text  here  mani- 
festly does?" 

The  only  inference  to  be  drawn  from  this  is 
that  the  original  words  have  not  been  given  their 
intended  meaning. 

Some  render  "  the  flakes  of  his  flesh."  Others 
"  the  muscles  of  his  flesh."  The  Vulgate  has : 
"  the  members  of  his  flesh."  The  Septuagint 
render  it :   "  the  fleshy  parts  of  his  bod3^" 

It  seems  to  me  as  though  the  self-evident 
meaning  of  this  passage  had  been  purposely 
ignored.  Why  should  not  these  so-called  pendu- 
lous and  movable  parts  refer  to  his  limbs,  to 
those  parts  which  move  when  he  is  in  action, 
the  members  of  his  flesh,  as  the  Vulgate  has 
rendered  it  ? 

Some  of  these  limbs  might  have  had  a  pendu- 
lous appearance,  as  though  they  were  merely 
hung  or  fastened  to  his  sides.     The}^  might  have 


272  A   WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

been  formed  of  two  or  more  parts  connected  by 
suitable  joints,  as  tbe  original  words  indicate. 
Yet  they  were  so  perfectly  made  and  adjusted 
that  nothing  was  shaky  or  loose  about  them. 

This  would  certainly  solve  the  problem  with- 
out any  glaring  contradictions. 

But,  possibly,  it  is  because  the  friends  of  the 
crocodile  did  not  dare  to  expose  his  miserable 
crooked  paws,  that  they  did  not  take  this,  at 
least,  plausible  view  of  the  reference  of  this  pas- 
sage. 

Yet  I  am  not  satisfied  that  the  word  (P^'^) 
mappal  is  intended  here  in  the  sense  of  pendulous, 
flabby ;  as  most  exponents  of  this  passage  have 
rendered  it.  I  find  in  it  a  more  wonderful  dis- 
closure in  its  primary  meaning  of  something 
falling,  falling  off,  or  away ;  that  is  something 
separable,  detachable ;  ior  such  is,  indeed,  the  real 
meaning  of  the  word.  No  where  else  do  I  find 
it  used  in  the  sense  of  pendulous,  or  flabby. 

In  its  connection  and  form,  the  word  would 
refer,  here,  to  parts  or  members  of  this  monster's 
body  which  were,  evidently,  detachable,  removable. 

Now  the  reference  of  these  detachable  parts,  or 
members,  to  what  is  properly  called  the  engine^ 
seems  so  evident  to  me,  that  I  believe  it  will  not 
require  much  explanation  to  cause  it  all  to  be 
fully  understood  and  appreciated. 

In  fact  what  is  the  e?igine,  but  a  combination 
of  separable  and  detachable  parts. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  the  steam  engine  is  a  com- 
pound machine,  composed  of  different  parts,  spe- 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF   JOB.  273 

cially  of  a  boiler  and  an  engine.  Taken  separately, 
the  engine  refers  to  a  set  of  suitable  and  detachable 
mechanical  devices,  all  connected  together,  and  set 
in  motion  by  the  pressure  of  steam  from  the 
boiler. 

Engines  are  of  various  kinds,  and  differently 
applied.  Those  made  for  stationary  boilers,  are 
often  located  far  from  the  boiler  itself.  The 
engine  of  a  movable  steam  machine,  is  generall}- 
made  fast^  or  cast  to  the  boiler.  Such  is  the  case 
with  the  locomotive ;  and  undoubtedly,  this  is 
what  is  here  meant  by,  "  it  will  be  made  fast 
(or  cast)  upon  him."  All  its  parts  are  securely 
fastened  together;  and  such  is  said  to  be  the 
case  with  those  of  the  leviathan.  They  are  also 
made  fast  to  the  exterior  parts  of  the  boiler,  and 
become  thereby,  really  "the  members  of  his  flesh,'' 
as  rendered  by  the  Vulgate.  By  means  of  these 
mechanical  devices  the  locomotive  propels  him- 
self; consequently  they  are  to  him  .as  his  limbs^ 
his  members.  None  of  these  are  allowed  to  be- 
come loose  or  shaky^  and  Job  reminds  us  of  this 
fact,  when  he  says:  "Nothing  will  be  loose  (or 
shaky)." 

If  we  trace  the  meaning  of  the  primary  or 
kindred  roots  ('?5)  phal,  and  (N'75)  phala^  we  will 
find  that  the  word  mappal  may  also  have  here  the 
meaning  of  wonderful y  marvellous ;  this  might  re- 
fer to  some  parts  of  this  monster's  body,  in  the 
sense  of  (nlN'700)  wondrous  and  marvellous  works. 
And  as  the  meaning  of  the  word  rendered  fleshy  is 
also  beauty ;  we  may  very  appropriately  render  this 


2  74  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

passage  by,  "  The  marvellous  parts  of  liis  beauty- 
are  connected  together."  This  would  seem  to 
answer  exactly  to  the  promise  made  in  the  twelfth 
verse,  viz.,  "  I  will  not  pass  in  silence  his  mem- 
bers .  .  .  nor  the  beauty  of  his  equipment^ 

Then  again  this  marvellous  beauty^  as  a  distinct 
thing  from  the  body  of  this  monster,  may  be  ex- 
actly that  which  is  referred  to  in  the  second 
hemistich,  by:  "  It  will  be  made  fast  upon  him," 
which  would  account  for  the  verb  being  in  the 
singular.  This  would  give  to  this  verse  another 
unexpected  meaning ;  and  one  which  would  suit, 
to  an  eminent  degree,  the  wonderful  and  mai'vel- 
lous  beauty  and  perfection  of  an  engine,  considered 
separately  from  the  boiler.  Its  numerous  and  in- 
tricate parts  are  masterpieces  of  beauty  and  work- 
manship. 

Nothing  about  it  is  allowed  to  'be  loose  or 
shaky.  Here  will  be  appreciated  the  force  of 
the  rendering  of  the  French  version :  "  Tout  est 
massif  en  lui,  rien  n'y  branle  " — all  about  him 
is  solid,  nothing  is  shaky. 

I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  the  Vulgate 
arrived  at  its  extraordinary  rendering  of  the  second 
member  of  this  verse. 

Instead  of  "  it  (or,  all)  will  be  made  fast  upon 
him;  nothing  will  be  loose."  It  has,  "He  will 
send  lightnings  against  him,  and  they,  (his  mem- 
bers) will  not  be  carried  to  another  place."  This 
is  as  much  as  to  say  that,  even  the  thunderbolts 
from  above  could  not  kill  him,  nor  move  his 
members  from  their  place. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  275 

This  is  a  conception  not  inferior  to  any  in 
^his  description,  and  quite  applicable  to  our  pon- 
derous iron  monster,  who  fears  nothing,  not  even 
the  thunderbolts  from  above ;  and  whose  strong 
members  and  sinews  even  the  lightning  could 
not  paral3-ze. 

But,  undoubtedly,  the  true  meaning  of  this  most 
extraordinary  verse  is  :  "  The  separable  parts  of 
his  flesh  are  connected  together ;  all  will  be  made 
fast  to  him  ;  nothing  will  be  shaky." 

What  a  wonderful  verse  this  proves  to  be, 
when  we  come  to  realize  that  here  is,  evidently, 
mentioned  the  fact  that  the  various  parts  of  the 
engine  are  detachable ;  and  consequently,  re- 
movable from  the  main  bod}^  of  the  locomotive. 
Can  au}^  one  convince  himself  that  it  is  possible 
that  such  a  description  ma}'  refer  to  some  U7i- 
kuozvn  animal  ? 

Surely,  the  serious  student  will  not  find  any 
thing  doubtful  concerning  this  great  prophecy, 
nor  its  reference.  What  a  mar\^ellous  thing  for 
us,  who  are  prone  to  ask  for  evidence,  to  behold 
now  before  our  own  eyes,  the  most  tangible  and 
most  astounding  fulfilment  of  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  complete  prophecies  in  the  world.  There 
is  nothing  at  all  comparable  to  it  in  the  whole 
Bible. 


276 


A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 


HE  HAS  NEITHER  HEART  NOR  EEEUNGS. 


Verse  24. 


1!!':' 

His  heart 

Cor  eju3 

p^v: 

will  be  indurated                | 

indurabitur 

pg-itDD 

similar  to  a  stoue, 

tanquam  lapis. 

pi^'!! 

and  will  be  firm                   , 

et  stringetur 

n'7p 

as  a  piece 

quasi  malleatoris 

:  n^nnn 

of  the  lower  rocks. 

incus. 

"  His  heart  is  as  firm  as  a  stone  ;  yea,  as  hard  as  a  piece 
of  the  nether  millstone." 


At  first  sight,  it  would  seem  as  though  the 
leviathan  was  here  represented  as  having  a  heart. 
But  it  soon  becomes  evident  that  the  word  heart 
must  be  intended  here  in  a  figurative  sense  to 
denote  his  nature,  or  the  quality  of  his  natural 
attributes,  and  not  a  physical  and  sensitive  heart. 
Had  the  real  fleshy  heart  of  an  animal  been  in- 
tended, it  would  not  have  been  so  positively  as- 
serted and  repeated  that  it  was  indurated  simi- 
lar to  a  stone,  yea,  even  as  firm  and  as  solid  as 
the  lower  rocks.  We  may  admit,  that  to  say 
one's  heart  is  as  hard  as  a  stone,  is  to  mean, 
generally,  that  one  has  no  feelings  ;  yet  not  im- 
plying that  he  has  no  heart  at  all.  But  in  an 
exceptional  case    as  this,   and  when  it  is   so   em- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  277 

phatically  maintained  that  his  heart  is  as  hard 
and  as  solid  as  the  lower  rocks  or  the  nether 
millstone,  it  must  be  inferred  that,  whatever  ma}^ 
be  intended,  must  have  neither  feelings  nor  sensi- 
tiveness ;  in  fact  must  be  made  of  something  very 
hard  and  solid. 

In  connection  with  the  locomotive,  this  com- 
parison to  rocks  and  st07ies  is  quite  significant, 
when  we  reflect  on  the  nature  of  iron  ores,  out 
of  which  our  monster's  heart  and  hide  are  made. 
Then  it  would  be  well  to  remark  that  this  mon- 
ster's heart  is  not  said  to  have  been  so  at  that 
time,  but  that  it  would  be  made  so  at  some  future 
time.  Vulgate,  indurabitur  .  .  .  .  et  stringetur. 
One  can  easily  perceive  how  well  the  above  can 
be  said  of  a  locomotive.  He  has  no  heart  what- 
ever ;  neither  has  he  any  feelings.  He  will  crush 
to  pieces  anything  that  may  be  in  his  way.  He 
takes  pity  on  no  one,  for  he  has  no  more  feelings 
than  a  stone.  All  your  prayers,  supplications 
and  kindness,  would  be  of  no  avail ;  they  would 
not  be  any  more  apt  to  make  an  impression  on 
him  than  they  would  be  likely  to  make  on  a 
millstone  or  an  anvil.  If  you  thought  of  chas- 
'.ising  him,  all  the  blows  that  you  might  strike 
on  his  back,  would  have  no  more  effect  than  if 
struck  on  a  rock.  Such  I  consider  to  be  the 
meaning  and  reference  of  this  verse. 

As  to  the  word  rendered  the  nether  millstone^ 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  intended  to  denote 
rather  the  lower  strata  of  rocks,  as  they  are  the 
most  immovable  and,  generally,  the  most  firm  and 


278  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

compact.  The  V'ulgate  and  the  Septuagint  render 
anvil. 

As  to  the  meaning  of  this  passage  Albert 
Barnes  says:  "Bochart  remarks  that  the  word 
Jieart  here  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  denoting  the 
courage  of  the  animal,  as  it  sometimes  does,  but 
the  heart  literally.  There  is  peculiar  firmness 
or  strength  needed  in  the  hearts  of  all  animals, 
to  enable  them  to  propel  the  blood  through  the 
arteries  of  the  body ;  and  in  an  animal  of  the 
size  of  a  crocodile,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  heart 
must  be  capable  of  exerting  vast  force.  But  there 
is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  af&rmation  here 
is  made  on  the  supposition  that  there  is  need  of 
extraordinary  strength  in  the  heart  to  propel 
the  blood.  The  presumption  therefore  is,  that 
the  statement  here  is  based  on  what  had  been 
seen  of  the  remarkable  compactness  and  firmness 
of  the  heart  of  the  animal  here  referred  to.  Pro- 
bably there  was  nothing  so  peculiar  in  the  heart 
of  the  crocodile  that  this  description  would  be 
applicable  to  that  animal  alone,  but  it  is  such 
doubtless  as  would  apply  to  the  heart  of  any 
animal  of  extraordinary  size  and  strength," 

All  that  I  can  conclude  from  the  above  remarks 
is,  that  the  writer  admits  that  there  is  nothing 
so  peculiar  in  the  heart  of  the  crocodile  that  it 
could  be  claimed  to  be  the  one  alluded  to  in  the 
words  of  this  verse. 

But  what  is  very  peculiar  of  our  modern  levia- 
than is,  that  his  heart,  figuratively  speaking,  is  as 
indurated    as    a  stone,  and  that   he  has  no  mor<.^ 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  279 

feelings  than  an  anvil,  or  a  piece  of  the  lower 
rocks ;  which  is  exactly  the  requirements  of  the 
text. 

A  heart  that  is  as  hard  as  a  stone,  and  as  firm 
and  solid  as  an  anvil,  can  have  none  of  the  essen- 
tial requisites  of  a  heart,  in  its  literal  acceptation  ; 
it  is,  consequently,  equivalent  to  having  no  such 
heart  at  all. 

This  monster,  then,  must  have  had  no  heart, 
no  feelings.  Such  is  the  peculiarity  of  our 
wonderful  dragon. 

Here  then  I  would  render :  *'  His  heart  will 
be  indurated  similar  to  a  stone,  and  will  be  firm 
as  a  piece  of  the  lower  roeks." 


28o 


A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 


WHEN  GOING  AT  FULI.  RAGE  HE  MAY  MISS 
HIS  TRACK. 


Verse  25. 


int^*p 

At  his  boiling  up,  raging 

Cum  sublatus  fuerit 

niji; 

they  will  fear 

timebunt 

°''?*^ 

the  most  courageous, 

angeli, 

D''-l!lt£^P 

/<?^/ from  breakings,  (accidents) 

et  territi 

|T    -     :   • 

they  lose  themselves,  miss  their 
way. 

purgabuntur. 

"When  he  raiseth  up  himself,   the  mighty  are  afraid,  by 
reason  of  breakings  they  purify  themselves." 


It  would  puzzle  the  most  learned  to  tell  us 
wliat  is  meant  by  either  the  Latin  or  English 
versions  quoted  above.  "When  he  will  have 
been  raised  up,"  says  the  Vulgate,  "the  angels 
will  fear,  and,  terrified,  they  will  be  purified." 

Does  this  mean  that  this  leviathan  will,  some 
day,  attempt  to  scale  the  high  heavens,  and  thereby 
create  a  great  consternation  among  the  angels  ? 
Surely  Bochart  could  not  claim  such  high  honors 
for  /lis  crocodile.  Neither  could  Prof.  Lee  ever 
dream  of  seeing  his  whale  taking  wings  unto  it- 
self and  claiming  a  place  among  the  feathered 
tribe  of  the  heavens,  or  the  angels  of  the  Most 
High. 


IN    THE    HOOK    OF   JOH.  2S1 

But  how  about  the  steam  eng-ine  ?  Would  au}^ 
one  be  surprised  to  see  it,  in  the  near  future, 
taking  wings  unto  itself  and  creating  a  commo- 
tion in  the  heavens  as  well  as  among  the  great 
ones  of  the  earth  ?  Here  again,  our  leviathan  has 
the  advantage  over  all  his  competitors. 

I  do  not  see,  however,  that  any  such  inference 
can  be  drawn   from  the    Hebrew    text    before  us. 

The  Septuagint  have  another  strange  rendering 
here,  which  is :  "  When  turning  (or  revolving) 
himself,  he  will  cause  terror  among  the  quadru- 
peds treading  upon  the  earth.'' 

The  novel  idea  expressed  here,  that  the  levia- 
than would  turn  or  revolve  himself^  must  have 
appeared  verj'-  singular  to  many  readers.  It 
would  seem,  also,  that  the  Septuagint  understood 
that,  when  this  monster  would  turn  himself 
violently,  it  would  frighten  all  the  wild  beasts 
of  the  earth. 

Although  this  is  not  the  exact  idea  contained 
in  the  present  Hebrew  text,  yet  it  is  very  singu- 
lar that  it  should  apply,  in  such  a  striking  man- 
ner, to  the  locomotive,  which  indeed,  turns  and 
revolves  rapidly ;  in  other  words,  propels  itself ; 
and,  in  so  doing,  frightens  all  the  wild  beasts 
treading  along  its  path.  From  what  could  the 
Septuagint  have  obtained  this  idea  ?  The  very 
word  locomotive  has  been  given  to  the  railroad 
steam  engine  to  indicate  that  it  has  the  power  to 
propel  itself  from  place  to  place.  And  it  would 
seem  that  the  Septuagint  understood  it  so  of  the 
leviathan.      He  was  to  roll  on,  or  turn  himself. 


282         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

Nowhere  else  do  we  find  it  stated  by  what 
means  this  creature  propelled  itself. 

As  to  its  terrifying  the  beasts  of  the  forests, 
many,  undoubtedly,  still  remember  that  when  it 
was  first  proposed  to  build  railroads  through  the 
country  and  the  cities,  that  great  objections  were 
raised  on  the  very  grounds  that  they  would 
terrify  all  the  animals  out  of  the  forests. 

Behold,  also,  our  modern  leviathan  rolling  on 
wheels  and  propelling  himself^  and  on  his  path 
terrifying  the  beasts  both  of  the  earth  and  of 
the  sea  ;  and  in  this,  fulfilling  also  the  words  of 
the  Septuagint. 

Let  us  see,  now,  if  the  Hebrew  has  not  also 
locked  up,  in  the  intricate  wording  of  this  verse, 
some  astonishing  revelations  which  it  has  been 
unwilling  to  disclose  up  to  the  present. 

Unless  the  original  lock  has  been  tampered 
with,  I  believe  that  the  key  which  has  already 
proved  successful  in  thirty-four  consecutive  verses, 
will  not  fail  to  give  us,  in  this  instance  also,  a 
solution  to  the    difficulties  we    meet  with. 

The  first  word  of  this  verse  (iHti^D)  rendered : 
"  When  he  raiseth  up  himself,"  or  "  at  his  rising," 
is  rendered  by  the  Septuagint :  "  The  turning; 
of  himself."  But  this  is  certainly  not  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Hebrew  word  under  consideration. 
Its  primary  meaning  is  a  lifting  iip^  a  rising  up^ 
exaltation  ;  then,  a  boiling  tip  as  of  waters. 

Consequently  we  may  render:  ""^  From  his  lifting 
up  or  rising  up  violently  ;  ox  from  his  furious  boil- 
ing the  most  courageous  will  fear. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  283 

All  df  which  applies  with  astonishing  preci- 
sion to  a  locomotive  when  heated  up  and  boiling 
violently,  or  when  at  the  height  of  its  rage,  or 
going  at  the  top  of  its  speed. 

Prof.  Lee  supposes  that  this  refers  to  the  rismg 
up  of  the  whale  as  she  comes  up  to  the  surface 
of  the  water  to  attack  her  pursuers. 

Albert  Barnes  supposes  that  it  refers  to  the 
rousing  up  of  this  monster  either  for  an  attack 
or  in  self-defence.  It  must  be  admitted  that 
neither  of  these  interpretations  would  suit  the 
primary  meaning  of  the  word  as  well  as  the 
boiling  up  of  the  heated  waters  of  our  own  fiery 
monster.  His  becoming  fierce  and  exalted  by 
the  rising  up  of  his  internal  pressure. 

The  expression  (1"T1-3J)  yagourou,  rendered  here  : 
"  The}''  will  fear  ;"  has  such  a  variety  of  meanings 
that  it  has  puzzled  the  most  learned  to  select  the 
proper  one.  In  fact  each  word  of  this  verse  is  a 
deep  study  in  itself. 

The  primary  meaning  of  the  above  word  is  : 
to  turn  aside  from  the  luay ;  then  to  fcar^  from 
the  primary  idea  of  turning  out  of  the  way. 
Kindred  with  these  are  the  expressions  to  go  off. 
to  turn  aside ^  or,  away ;  to  depart. 

I  consider  though,  that  the  proper  meaning  of  the 
word  here  is,  to  fear,  to  tremble.  As  the  word  stands 
now  in  the  Hebrew  text,  we  would  have  to  render  it : 
they  ivill  fear^  or  they  will  turn  aside  from  the  way  ; 
meaning  that,  at  the  exaltations,  or  fierce  ragings 
of  this  monster,  the  most  courageous  will  fear,  or 
would  be  inclined  to  turn  aside  from  the  way. 


284         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

The  Septuagint  seem  to  have  been  of  the  opinion 
that  this  turning  from  the  way^  did  not  refer  to 
the  action  of  those  who  would  be  frightened  at  his 
raging,  but  to  the  very  action  of  the  leviathan  it- 
self, either  in  turning  himself  over,  or  in  turning 
off  from  his  way. 

Hither  of  these  views  will  suit  our  locomotive, 
which  often  turns  over,  or  off  of  its  track ;  but  it 
will  not  suit  the  text. 

Adam  Clarke  says  of  this  verse  :  "  No  version, 
either  ancient  or  modern,  appears  to  have  under- 
stood this  verse  ;  nor  is  its  true  sense  known." 

The  conclusion  of  this  great  commentator,  is 
much  in  my  favor,  as  no  one  would  seem  to  have 
succeeded  in  making  any  sense  of  this  verse  in 
their  endeavors  to  appl}^  it  to  animals. 

I  give  to  (D*^*N)  ailim^  the  meaning  of  tJie  most 
courageous^  as  others  have. 

This  part  of  the  verse  would,  then,  mean  :  "At 
his  boiling  up ;  or,  when  at  the  height  of  his 
rage,  the  most  courageous  will  fear." 

The  meaning  and  reference  of  this  does  not  need 
much  explanation  in  our  days,  when  we  have  in 
our  midst  a  fier}^  steed  which  travels  at  the  terrible 
rate  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles  an  hour,  and  whose  an- 
ticipations are  to  reach  a  hundred.  Then,  indeed, 
will  there  be  cause  for  fear  and  trembling  at  his 
violent  boiling  and  at  his  fierce  rage. 

Most  versions  render  the  second  part  of  this 
verse  thus  :  "  By  reason  of  breakings  they  purify 
themselves."  The  meaning  of  this  passage  has 
never    been    satisfactorily  explained.      The  word 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  285 

p5^)  shebher^  means  a  break iiig^  a  break iuf^  down, 
fracture^  destruction ;  and  in  the  form  it  appears 
here  means,  from   breakhigs ;  or,   f7'om  fractures. 

The  primary  meaning  of  (NtpH)  chata^  is  to  miss  ; 
then  to  jnake  a  false  step^  to  tiiiss  one's  way,  to 
lose  one^s  self ;   then  to  purify  one^s  self 

The  strictest  literal  rendering  of  these  words 
would  be  :  "  They  will  purif}^  themselves  from 
breakings,  or,  against  breakings,  or  fracture."  I 
consider  the  meaning  of  this  to  be:  "They  will 
guard  themselves  against  accidents." 

In  the  sense  of  missing  one^s  way^  or  losing  oner's 
self  we  might  consider  this  whole  verse  to  have 
been  intended  to  mean  :  ''  When  at  the  height  of 
his  rage,  the  most  courageous,  will  fear,  lest,  from 
accidents  (breakings)  they  should  lose  themselves 
or,  should  miss  their  way."  Here  I  must  express, 
my  doubts  that  the  verb,  in  this  last  sentence,  was 
originally  in  the  plural.  Without  the  suffix  it 
would  make  this  passage  apply  to  the  locomotive 
itself,  which  would,  indeed,  be  more  likel}-,  in  case 
of  breakings  or  accidents,  to  be  the  one  that  would 
lose  himself,  or  miss  his  way — his  track. 

I  am  satisfied  that  the  most  skeptical  will  be 
astonished  at  this  wonderfully  true  description  of 
the  dangers  and  fears  experienced  so  often  in 
our  days,  when  our  fearless  monster,  raising 
himself  up  to  full  speed,  dashes  along  at  a  fright- 
ful rate  over  deep  precipices  and  sharp  curves, 
causing  the  most  courageous  passengers  to  fear  lest, 
in  his  precipitate  flight,  some  accident  should 
happen,  and  they  be  hurled  to  destruction. 


286         A  WONDERFUl.  DISCOVERY 

Here,  then,  is  a  most  astonishing  and  direct  re- 
ference to  our  modern  lightning  passenger  trains. 
Otherwise  who  could  those  be  who  would  here 
have  occasion  to  fear  accidents,  and  the  loss  of 
themselves,  or  the  missing  of  the  w^ay  ? 

One  can  hardly  realize  the  possibility  of  such 
modern  and  daily  occurrences  being  found  so  fully 
and  vividly  described  in  a  book  written  so  many 
centuries  ago.  And,  what  is  no  less  astonishing,  is 
the  fact  that  the}-  should  have  remained  concealed 
so  long  after  they  had  been  fulfilled. 

No  animal  that  has  been  proposed,  up  to  this 
da}^,  has  been  found  to  possess  all  the  require- 
ments of  this  wonderful  description.  Our  iron- 
shielded  monster  seems  to  stand  alone  as  legiti- 
mate heir  to  the  God-given   name    of  Leviathan, 

How  modern  these  words  of  Job  now  sound. 
"  When  at  his  full  speed  the  most  courageous 
will  fear  lest,  from  accidents,  they  should  miss 
their  way." 

May  I  not  claim,  in  this  instance,  to  have  un- 
done another  Gordian  knot,  and  to  have  added 
another  powerful  link  to  an  already  strong  and 
unbroken  chain  of  evidences  ? 


IN    THK    liOOiv    Ob    JOU. 


HIS  WANT  OF  WATER  WILL  CAUSE  HIS 
DESTRUCTION. 

Vers©  lit*. 


^nmr2 

Wheu  it  exalteth  him, 

Cum  apprehenderit 

T)n 

O'^Hl  dryness, 

eum  gladius. 

'1^ 

he  will  not  have 

non  poterit 

Dipn 

power  to  resist ; 

subsislere, 

ri*;in 

(ni.3n)  the  curved  vault 

neque  hasta 

>»DD 

( J7DD)  being  caused  to  break  up. 

neque 

^"^P'^'1 

and  also  the  armor. 

thorax. 

"The  sword  of  him  that  layeth  at  him  cannot  hold  ;  the 
spear,  the  dart,  nor  the  habergeon." 


The  diffictilties  of  this  verse  surpass  aiiythiug 
I  have  met  with  in  this  description. 

Its  true  sense  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
known.  Translators  have  passed  over  many  im- 
portant words  ;  and  commentators  have  dismissed 
it  with  but  a  few  remarks. 

Its  construction  is  so  different  from  the  pre- 
ceding verses  that  one  would  be  justified  in 
supposing  that  some  of  its  words  had  been  acci- 
dentally transposed. 

The  word  (^in)  rendered  szvord,  has  proved  a 
great  stumbling-block  to  all  translators.  None 
of  them    seem    to    have  suspected  that  this  word 


288  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

might  liave  been  intended  in  a  different  sense. 
I  look  upon  it  as  having  here  the  meaning 
of  (^in)   chore bh^  dryjiess^  a  want  of  water. 

The  verb  to  be  dry^  to  be  dried  up^  is  composed  of 
the  same  radical  letters,  and  denotes,  according  to 
Gesenius,  merely  the  absence,  or  failure,  of  water. 
It  is  used  in  this  sense  in  Genesis  chap.  viii.  13.  Ps. 
cvi.  9.  The  word  occurring  here  is  the  same  one 
met  with  in  chap.  xl.  19,  and  rendered,  his  swo7'd ; 
and  interpreted  of  this  monster's  own  power  of 
destruction. 

Whether  we  render  it  here  by  dryness^  or  swordy 
or  power  of  destruction,  it  brings  us,  singularly 
enough,  to  the  one  and  the  same  thing  as  being 
this  terrible  power,  viz.,  fire  and  water,  or  their 
results — steam.  Thus  we  can  render  this  passage  : 
"  When  dryness,  or  the  sword,  or  destruction 
causeth  him  to  increase,  or  causeth  him  to  be- 
come exalted,  furious,  he  will  not  have  power  to 
withhold." 

•  This  meaning  of  the  word  sword^  will  be  seen  to 
solve  the  difficulties  which  all  have  experienced 
with  the  expression  {'\T\'^'W'0)  massigehou^  which 
answers  here  as  well,  whether  we  derive  it  from 
sag  ah  ^  or  chagah. 

Taking  this  word  (D"!!!)  as  referring  to  a  state 
of  dryness^  the  meaning  then  would  be  that  the 
leviathan  will  become  dry^  or  that  there  will  be 
within  him  a  want  of  water  which  will  cause 
him  to  increase^  either  in  power  or  in  fury ;  or, 
will  cause  him  to  become  exalted.  It  is  plain 
that  this  condition,  according  to  the  words  before 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF  JOB.  289 

lis,  will  bring  upon  him  insufficiency  of  strength 
to  withhold.  That  i.s,  this  increase  of  his  destruc- 
tive power — his  sword ;  or  this  state  of  great  fury 
and  excitement  within  him,  for  want  of  water,  will 
be  the  cause  that  he  will  not  have  strength  to  con- 
tain himself.  Consequently  he  will  go  to  destruc- 
tion. How  this  is  accomplished  is  described  in 
the  second  part  of  the  verse. 

This  also  divulges  to  us  the  true  meaning  of 
the  expression  iQ^j^r^  ^'^3)  heli  tliakoimi^  viz.,  want  of 
resistance ;  want  of  power  to  withhold.  By  some 
writers,  this  want  of  power.,  is  supposed  to  apply 
to  the  sword ;  by  others,  to  the  leviathan.  The 
Vulgate  expresses  the  true  sense  of  the  original  ; 
it  renders :  "  When  the  sword  will  have  taken 
hold  of  him,  he  will  not  be  able  to  subsist." 
Yet  the  balance  of  the  verse  was  not  understood. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  I  have  already 
explained  that,  the  expression  his  sword,  which 
the  maker  of  the  behemoth  was  to  apply  unto 
him,  referred  to  the  terribly  destructive  power  of 
steam,  which  man,  in  fact,  applies  to  the  steam 
engine  which  he  has  made.  Here  we  find  the 
leviathan  threatened  with  destruction  by  the 
same  power.  Bj^  a  slight  variation  of  the  point- 
ing of  the  same  word  sword.,  or  even  by  giving  to 
it  another  of  its  accepted  meanings,  viz.,  dryness, 
we  are  confronted  with  the  fact  that  here  is 
revealed  to  us,  under  another  form,  the  nature 
of  this  power  of  destruction,  or  rather  the  cause 
of  its  becoming  such,  viz.,  a  want  of  water,  dry- 
ness.    For  it  is    evident  that   the    true  sense   of 

>9 


290        A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

the  original  is :  "  When  dryness  will  have  taken 
hold  of  him,  he  will  not  be  able  to  withhold." 
It  certainly  cannot  mean,  literally,  that  when 
some  one  strikes  at  him  with  a  sword  he  will  not 
be  able  to  subsist,  since  we  are  repeatedly  told 
that  his  shields  are  impenetrable,  and  that  neither 
arrows,  nor  spears,  nor  javelins  can  wound  him. 
We  cannot  but  conclude,  then,  that  this  M^ord  sword, 
must  be  taken  figuratively  for  some  terrible 
power  of  destruction,  or  literally  as  meaning  dry- 
ness, lack  of  water.  In  the  sense  of  the  former, 
I  have  already  shown  its  direct  application  to 
steam.  Now,  in  the  latter  sense,  we  are  forced 
to  conclude  that,  the  cause  of  this  monster's 
dcvStruction  is  water  or  the  lack  of  it;  or  that 
this  terrible  power  is  accumulated  at  the  expense 
of  water,  and  that  when  there  is  not  a  sufficiency 
of  it,  this  monster  becomes  furious  ;  rages  terri- 
bly; becomes  exalted,  or  increases,  {sagali),  or 
rises  up  in  some  unaccountable  manner ;  for  the 
original  words  [sagah,  or  shagah)  have  all  these 
significations.  It  appears  also  rather  problemati- 
cal, at  first  sight,  that  the  very  power  given  to 
this  monster  by  its  maker,  should  become  such  a 
terrible  source  of  destruction  to  him  ;  or,  that  a 
mere  want  of  water  should  cause  him  to  become 
so  exalted  and  furious,  that  he  would  destroy 
himself. 

It  seems  evident  that  the  Lord  did  not  intend 
that,  the  true  meaning  and  reference  of  this  great 
enigma  should  be  discovered,  by  man,  before  its 
proper  time. 


IN    THK    ROOK    OK   JOIJ.  29I 

But,  let  US  see  ;  have  we  not  a  veiy  singular  mon- 
ster in  our  midst  that  does  the  ven*  same  thing  ? 
His  name  is  well  known.  He  lives  on  fire  and 
water ;  and  the  more  he  can  consume  of  both,  the 
greater  his  power. 

But  should  his  burning  flames  preponderate 
over  his  supply  of  water,  his  natural  violent  rage 
increases  (sagah)  and  rises  up  so  suddenly  that 
he  is  not  able  to  withhold  any  longer,  and  at  once 
he  tears  himself  to  pieces.  What  more  is  there 
required  to  fulfill  the  words  of  Job  ?  Nothing 
but  the  name.  Yet  I  can  see  this  also,  plainly 
inscribed  on  his  shields. 

Yes,  evidently,  the  very  cause  of  the  explosion 
of  a  steam  boiler  is  here  referred  to. 

As  every  one  knows,  the  less  water  there  is 
in  a  kettle,  the  more  fiercely  it  boils,  and  conse- 
quently the  greater  the  volume  of  steam  generated. 
If  this  kettle  be  air-tight,  as  is  the  case  with  the 
steam  boiler,  this  sudden  generation  or  increase 
of  steam  will  cause  it  to  explode,  on  account  of 
the  w^ant  of  sufficient  strength  in  the  materials 
to  withhold.  No  other  monster  has  been  found 
to  furnish  a  more  satisfactory  explanation  of  the 
difficulties  of  this  passage. 

If  we  now  compare  this  extraordinary  revela- 
tion concerning  the  destruction  of  the  leviathan 
with  what  is  said  of  the  destruction  of  the  behe- 
moth (chap.  xl.  19),  we  will  find,  very  unexpectedl3^ 
that  these  two  wonderful  monsters  come  to  grief 
in  precisely  the  same  manner,  and  fr»m  the  same 
identical  cause. 


292  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

I  hardly  need  any  better  evidence  to  prove  my 
assertion  that  these  two  monsters  refer  to  the  same 
power,  steam ;  and  that  they  differ  only  in  the 
application  of  the  same  principle  ;  and  that  what 
is  here  referred  to,  in  either  of  these  verses,  is  the 
well-known  explosion  or  bursting  of  the  boiler 
by  a  too  great  or  too  sudden  generation  of  steam. 

It  would  be  hard  to  find  on  earth  two  such 
monsters  who  would  be  apt,  in  general,  to  meet 
their  doom  from  precisely  the  same  extraordinary 
cause,  unless  they  were  of  the  same  species  or 
nature,  and  exposed  to  the  same  defects  and 
dangers.  The  boiler  of  our  stationary  engine 
and  that  of  our  locomotive,  seem  to  be  the  only 
twin  monsters  which  are  apt  to  perform  this  ex- 
traordinary feat  of  bursting  or  disembowelling 
themselves. 

As  unexpected  as  the  disclosures  of  this  passage 
may  be,  they  will  still  be  equalled,  if  not  surpassed, 
by  more  astonishing  revelations  concealed  in  the 
second  member  of  this  verse.  The  first  word  of 
it  is,  iri^JfT)  <:^^;2///z,  rendered  spear ^  lance  ;  it  seems 
to  me  to  have  been  written  so  by  mistake  of  some 
scribe,  or  through  an  alteration  in  some  manu- 
script by  one  who  did  not  understand  its  true 
reference. 

I  consider  that  the  original  read  (ril^H)  chauonth^ 
which  means  a  vaults  a  cell^  from  the  root  (H^ll) 
chanali^  to  bend,  to  incline,  and  refers  here  to  some 
curved  or  arched  structure  connected  with  this 
monster. 

The  Septuagint  and  Vulgate  have  passed  over 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  293 

the  word  {^0i2)  massa.  Umbrcit  renders  it  ai'rozvs. 
I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  they  can  attribute 
such  a  meaning  to  this  word.  Gesenius,  it  is  true, 
gives  dart^  arnnv^  as  some  of  its  possible  mean- 
ings, but  his  only  authority  is  this  verj-  passage, 
where  the  meaning  of  the  word  has  been  doubtful. 
If  such  had  been  the  recognized  meaning  of  this 
word  it  would  certainly  have  been  made  use  of  in 
the  twenty-eighth  and  twenty-ninth  verses,  where 
it  is  supposed  that  arrows  and  darts  are  meant. 

Job,  himself,  speaking  oi  arroivs  (chap.  vi.  4), 
makes  use  of  the  word  (fVO)  (^li^tsats  which  is 
the  word  almost  exclusively  made  use  of  through- 
out the  Scriptures  when  reference  is  had  to  an 
arrow.  Nowhere  do  I  find  {V^'O)  massa  to  have 
been  used  in  that  sense.  Its  doubtful  meaning, 
or  probably  the  difficulty  the}-  experienced  in 
applying  its  proper  meaning,  would  seem  to  have 
been  the  reason  why  the  Septuagint  and  Vulgate 
passed  it  over. 

This  word  was  certainly  never  intended  to 
mean  here  darts^  arrows.  It  is  a  verb,  and  should 
have  been  pointed  (I^Dp)  moussa  from  root  (J^PJ) 
nasa^  meaning  to  break  up^  to  tear  away.  In  this 
sense  it  applies  to  the  above  curved  vault,  it  being 
caused  to  break  up^  to  tear  away  from  want  of  water, 
as  indicated  in  the  first  part  of  the  verse. 

Another  mistranslation,  which  I  cannot  account 
for,  is  the  meaning  of  lance.,  and  javelin,  given  to 
the  word  (HpC')  shiryah,  nowhere  else  has  it  been 
taken  in  that  sense. 

Its    proper  meaning    is  a    coat    of  mail,  armor. 


294  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

Deriving  its  name  either  from  being  bright  and 
glittering,  or  from  being  made  of  chains  twisted 
together;  or  from  hard  and  tough  metal,  (^-y^^). 

Both  the  Septuagint  and  Vulgate  give  it  the 
meaning  of  breast-plate.     French,  cuirasse. 

Undoubtedly  here  it  refers  to  some  hard  sub- 
stance with  which  the  body  of  this  monster  is 
covered,  and  which  serves  to  protect  it,  the  same 
as  a  breast-plate  is  made  use  of  to  cover  and 
protect  the  body  of  the  wearer. 

From  the  above  interpretation  of  the  meaning 
of  these  words,  we  would  have :  "  The  curved 
vault  being  caused  to  break  up,  and  also  the 
armor." 

The  meaning  then,  of  the  entire  verse  would 
be  this :  "  When  dryness  exalteth  him,  he  will 
not  have  strength  to  withhold  ;  the  curved  vault 
being  caused  to    break  up,  and  also    the   armor." 

The  more  I  ponder  over  this  wonderful  revela- 
tion, the  more  I  am  dumbfounded  and  astonished. 
I  can  scarcely  believe  my  own  senses ;  like  one 
who  is  amazed  at  the  unexpected  discovery  of  a 
great  and  valuable  treasure.  Yes,  I  have  no  doubt 
that,  to  the  reflecting  mind,  this  will  prove  a 
great  treasure. 

Job  foresaw  the  complete  structure  of  the  steam 
engine.  We  have  seen  that  he  understood  its 
principles  of  life  and  motion.  Its  enormous  power, 
great  beauty  and  vast  influence,  were  clearly  re- 
vealed to  him.  And  here,  finally,  is  made  known, 
in  a  few  concise  word,  his  complete  knowledge  of 
one  of  its  most  terrible  causes  of  destruction. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  295 

The  aiJi'ed  vault  here  spoken  of  will  be  easily 
recognized  by  an  engineer,  as  referring  to  the 
arched  form  of  the  croivu-slicct  forming  the  top 
of  the  fire-box  of  the  boiler,  and  which  is  the 
first  thing  to  melt^  or  to  break  up^  when  the  water 
becomes  too  low  to  protect  it. 

As  to  the  armor  here  mentioned  it  may  refer 
either  to  the  iron  plates  of  the  boiler  itself,  or 
to  the  jacket  which  surrounds  it.  All  of  this  is, 
indeed,  torn  aivay  in  an  instant  when  the  fury 
of  our  monster  gets  too  great,  either  from  his 
allowance  of  water  failing  him  or  from  being 
pushed  too  hard  in  an  unequal  contest.  Then 
his  powerful  and  majestic  form  becomes  an  object 
of  horror  and  disgust  to  all  who  see  him.  Where, 
under  the  sun,  can  another  be  found  which  can 
be  compared  with  this  singular  monster? 

He  is  as  unequalled  in  his  glory  and  power  as 
he  is  in  the  terrors  of  his  destruction  and  down- 
fall. Surel}'  none  other  on  earth  this  day  can 
answer  so  well  this  sublime  and  astonishing  de- 
scription. None  other  can  fulfill  so  completely  the 
many  wonderful  things  which  are  here  enumerated. 
In  the  breaking  up  or  melting  of  this  curved  or 
arched  vault^  we  have  also  an  irrefutable  proof 
that  this  monster  was  made  of  iron  which  was 
exposed  to  a  strong  heat;  for  the  expression,  to 
breaks  or  to  virlt,  (HDp)  could  not  apply  here  if 
this  monster  was  of  flesh  and  blood. 


296 


A    VVONDERFUI.    DISCOVERY 


NEITHER   IRON   NOR    BRASS    CAN   RESIST  HIM. 

Vers©  27 


3OT 

He  will  esteem 

Reputabit  euini 

pn'7 

as  straw,  chaff 

quasi  paleas 

"'ns 

iron,  (a  thing  of  iron), 

ferrum, 

m 

and  as  wood 

et  quasi  lignum 

n?i^i 

rotten,  or,  hollow 

putridum 

nnm 

brass,  (a  thing  of  brass). 

aes. 

He  esteemeth  iron  as  straw,  and  brass  as  rotten  wood. 


We  have  seen,  in  the  previous  verse,  that  when 
the  leviathan's  supply  of  water  failed  him,  his 
great  capacity  to  contain  himself  failed  him  also. 
■  I  consider  that  it  is  under  these  circtimstances 
that  occurs  what  we  are  told  in  this  verse,  viz..  that 
things  made -of  the  most  solid  iron  seem  to  be  to 
him  as  straw  or  wickerwork  ;  and  those  parts  abotit 
him  which  were  made  of  brass,  were  broken  and 
destroyed  with  as  much  ease  as  if  the}'  were  of 
rotten  wood.  In  chap.  xli.  17,  under  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  behemoth,  we  were  told  that  some  of 
his  bones  were  tubes  of  brass ^  and  others  solid  bars 
of  iron.  Undoubtedly  these  are  here,  in  part,  re- 
ferred to.  His  bones,  or  his  frame-work  and  his 
movable  parts  which  are  solid  bars  of  iron,  become 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF   JO».  297 

to  him,  under  such  circumstances,  as  mere  straws 
or  bands  of  straw.  And  his  other  parts,  which 
are  tubes  of  brass,  become  as  hollow  wood  which 
is  rotten  and  without  strength. 

One  who  has  witnessed  the  explosion  of  a  loco- 
motive, or  of  a  steam  boiler,  will  be  able  16  realize 
how  poetic  and  true  these  expressions  are.  Indeed, 
the  monster  has  torn  asunder  his  heavy  iron 
plates  and  his  steel  jacket,  as  completely  as 
though  they  had  been  of  rotten  paper.  His 
numerous  and  ponderous  iron  bars,  he  has  twisted 
in  every  conceivable  shape,  as  if  lie  had  been 
playing  with  straws.  His  pipes  of  brass  and 
his  heavy  tubes  of  copper  he  has  broken  like 
pipe-stems,  and  has  smashed  and  destroyed  them 
as  completely  as  though  they  had  been  of  hollow 
rotten  wood.  In  the  outburst  of  his  rage  he 
has  buried  his  head  deep  in  the  mire,  and  twisted 
all  his  limbs  out  of  joint. 

He  has  torn  his  body  to  shreds,  disfigured  his 
whole  form  beyond  recognition,  and  scattered  his 
bones  and  his  entrails  over  the  plain.  And,  as 
if  to  take  revenge  on  those  who  excite  him  to 
destruction,  he  often  scalds  them  with  the  raging- 
vapors  of  his  body,  and  chars  their  remains  with 
the  burning  coals  of  his  mouth.  Such  is,  indeed, 
the  power  and  fury  of  our  modern  leviathan 
when  excited  beyond  measure. 

Taking  this  verse  in  its  generally  accepted 
meaning,  that  "  Iron  is  to  him  as  straw,  and 
brass  as  rotten  wood,"  we  may  find  that  it  has 
a  very  wide    application    in    connection  with  our 


298  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

powerful  steam  machines.  If  we  glance  into  our 
modern  machine  shops,  where  behemoth  is  at 
work,  we  will  find  him  actually  turning  huge 
pieces  of  iron  into  ringlets  like  straw. 

Enormous  casting  of  brass  he  grinds  and 
chips  with  as  much  ease  as  if  they  were  of 
rotten  wood.  In  fact,  the  crumblings  of  a  brass 
casting  in  the  turning  lathe  do  resemble  the 
crumblings  of  rotten  wood. 

So  that  either  way  we  look  at  this  verse,  we 
find  that  it  has  a  meaning  perfectly  agreeable 
to  facts  know  to  us  in  connection  with  the  powers 
of  steam. 

Indeed  Job  could  not  have  described  the 
astonishing  powers  of  our  herculean  monster  au}^ 
better  than  when  he  said :  "  He  will  esteem  iron 
as  straw,  and  brass  as  rotten  wood." 

If  this  leviathan  were  a  wild  animal,  would  it 
not  appear  somewhat  singular  that  he  should  be 
represented  as  having  so  much  to  do  with  iron, 
and  brass,  and  coals  of  fire,  instead  of  the  trees 
of  the  forests  and  wild  monsters  like  himself, 
which  he  would  be  more  apt  to  encounter  than 
iron  or  brass  ? 


IN    THK    BOOK    UI-    Jul'.. 


299 


FEAR  IS  rXKN(nVX  TO  HIM. 


Varse   HH. 


-^^  !     He  will  not 

l^nnD*  I     make  this  one  flee 
Dt!*p"0  the  sou  of  the  bow  ; 

J^'pS  I     as  chaff,  motes 
i7"1D3nj  are  turned  unto  him, 

"ODJSJ  stones  of 

J  t*7p  '     the  sling  (missiles). 


Non 

fugabit  eum 
vir  Sagittarius, 
in  stipulam 
versi  sunt  ei 
lapides 
fundse. 


"  The  arrow  cannot  make  him  flee  ;  sling-stones  are  turned 
with  him  into  stubble." 

This  verse,  and  also  the  one  following  it, 
evidently  refer  to  the  fearless  nature  of  the 
leviathan  ;  and,  from  the  wording  of  these  verses, 
it  would  appear  as  though  he  was  to  be  some- 
what associated  with  warriors  and  materials  of 
war. 

Our  English  versions  unanimously  render  the 
first  member  of  this  verse  by  :  "  The  arrow  can- 
not make  him  flee."  This  in  not  quite  the 
literal  meaning  of  the  Hebrew,  nor  is  it  the  sense 
intended  to  be  conveyed  by  the  original  expres- 
sions, which  are :  "  The  son  of  the  bow  will  not 
make  this  one  flee." 

It  seems  to  me  quite  evident  that  the  expres- 
sion //ir  sou  of   the   bozu,   does  not  refer    here,  to 


300         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

an  arroiu^  but  rather  to  archers^  warriors,  the  true 
sons  of  the  bow. 

In  Lamentations  iii.  13  ;  arrows  are  more  pro- 
perly denoted  as  "  sons  of  the  quiver." 

The  Vulgate  has  the  proper  rendering :  "  Vir 
Sagittarius  " — the  archer. 

The  word  son,  is  an  expression  often  made 
use  of  in  Oriental  languages,  to  denote  any  one 
thing  produced  by,  or  emanating  from,  another. 
For  instance  a  spark  from  the  fire  is  called  son 
of  the  fire.  An  arrow  is  called  son  of  the  quiver, 
etc. 

It  may  be  in  this  sense  that  we  are  to  under- 
stand the  expression  "the  sons  of  God"  which 
occurs  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  book  of  Job, 
verse  6 ;  that  is,  in  the  sense  that  these  sons  of 
God  referred  to  most  worthy  beings  emanating 
from  the  hands  of  God ;  beings  created  by  Him. 

The  words  father  and  another,  have  the  same 
latitude  of  meaning  in  the  poetic  language  of 
the  Orientals. 

Might  we  not  derive  from  this  an  idea  why 
Christ  is  called  the  Son  of  God?  Not  that  God 
was  Christ's  progenitor,  but  that  Christ  came 
from  God  the  same  as  a  spark  comes  from  the 
fire. 

A  spark  is  of  the  same  substance  as  the  fire 
from  which  it  emanates ;  yet,  upon  assuming 
an  individuality  of  its  own,  is  called  a  son  of 
that  fire,  possessed  of  the  same  nature  and  facul- 
ties as  the  source  from  which  it  came. 

The  Septuagint,  in  their  rendering  of  this  part 


IN    THE    HOOK    OF   JOB.  301 

of  the  verse,  are  quite  different  from  any  other ; 
they  have  :  "  The  bow  of  brass  will  not  wound 
him/' 

They  ina\-  have  meant  by  this,  that  the  strongest 
bow,  even  one  of  brass,  could  not  wound  him. 
But  the  original  does  not  refer  here  to  his  invul- 
nerability, but  to  his  fearless  nature. 

The  sense,  undoubtedly,  is,  that  he  would  not 
flee  or  tremble  at  the  sight  of  a  whole  army  of 
archers. 

The  clatter  of  arms  and  the  sight  of  a  multi- 
tude of  warriors  would  cause  any  animal  to  flee, 
but  it  4s  not  the  case  with  this  one.  He  has 
neither  heart  nor  feelings.  Fear  is  unknown  to 
him. 

All  this  suits,  to  an  eminent  degree,  our  iron- 
clad monster.  He  has  become  of  late  quite  a 
helpmate  in  warfare.  He  is  not  easily  wounded, 
and  charges  with  boldness  and  great  rapidity. 
He  rests  without  fear  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
conflict.  The  clatter  of  arms  dQ,**not  cause  him 
to  flee.  During  late  wars  he  has  even  been  con- 
verted into  an  iron-clad  battery.  Surely  then, 
arrows  would  not  have  made  much  impression 
on  him. 

The  second  part  of  this  verse  rendered  :  "  Sling- 
stones  are  turned  with  him  unto  stubble,"  has 
been  understood  by  commentators  in  general,  as 
referring  to  the  invulnerability  of  the  leviathan. 

I  am  satisfied  that  it  has  not  that  meaning ; 
it  would  be  but  a  useless  repetition  of  what  has 
so  often  been  referred  to  in  various  ways. 


302  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

The  original,  rendered  verbatim,  reads :  "  As 
chaff,  are  turned  unto  him,  stones  of  the  sling." 
These  stones  of  the  slings  are  undoubtedly  in- 
tended here  to  denote  missiles^  or  war  materials 
ot"  that  kind. 

It  is  not  said  here,  as  in  the  previous  verse, 
that  he  esteems  as  chaff  these  things.  Nor  is 
the  expression  the  same  as  the  one  made  use  of 
in  the  verse  following,  where  it  is  said  that  he 
esteems  darts  as  chaff.  But  here  an  entirely 
different  expression  is  made  use  of.  It  is  said 
that  these  stones  of  the  sling,  or  missiles,  are 
turned  unto  him^  as  chaff.  In  other  word,  that 
these  things  are  turned  over  to  him  the  same  as 
the  most  ordinary  and  harmless  things  are. 

It  is  easy  to  perceive  that  this  passage  could  not 
have  been  understood  in  this  sense  \^y  those  who 
supposed  that  some  wild  animal  was  here  referred  to. 
Consequently,  they  rendered  to  suit  their  views. 

But  with  me  the  case  is  different,  for  I  have 
discoved  a  strange  monster  to  which  apply,  in  a 
singular  manner,  all  these  hard  sa3dngs.  Yes, 
even  modern  sling-stones,  or  missiles  of  war,  as 
well  as  war  implement,  are  turned  over  unto  our 
leviathan  in  great  quantities,  especiall}^  in  war 
times.  And  he  thinks  no  more  of  them  than  if 
he  were  loaded  with  the  most  ordinary  and  harm- 
less things.  Their  enormous  weight  is  nothing 
to  him.  The  explosive  nature  of  the  ammunition 
that  he  carries  within  his  coils  has  no  terror  for 
him.  He  beholds  them  with  the  same  indiffer- 
ence that  he  does   his  ordinary  chaff. 


IN    THK    HOOK    OF  JOB.  303 

Here,  then,  is  a  clear  reference  to  the  utility 
of  our  railroads   in  war  times. 

After  this  the  reader  need  not  be  surprised  as 
to  what  may  come  next. 

This  verse  should  then  read :  "  The  archer 
will  not  make  this  one  flee.  Missiles  of  ivar  will 
be  turned  unto  him  as  chaff." 

Our  leviathan  is,  indeed,  a  strange  monster. 
He  can  fill  his  coils  with  sharp  and  pointed  instru- 
ments without  the  least  inconvenience  to  himself. 
He  can  always  increase  his  capacity  to  suit  the 
occasion.  Should  any  of  his  members  become 
damaged,  another  will  soon  replace  it ;  for,  as  we 
have  seen  in  a  previous  verse,  his  members  are 
detachable.  Behold,  even  his  head  can  be  parted 
from  his  serpent-like  body,  and  united  to  it  ai^ain 
at  will. 

He  has  been  often  seen  without  a  spark  of  life, 
and  then,  at  once,  made  alive  again  by  the  en- 
chanting rod  of  his  keeper.  Should  he  die  for- 
ever, the  whole  world  would  mourn  his  loss. 
Great  cities  would  be  turned  into  darkness.  Others 
would  vanish  from  their  places  ;  and  many  people 
would  perish  from  distress.  That  this  might  not 
happen,  his  creator  has  endowed  him  with  an  iron 
constitution,  and  protected  his  body  with  impene- 
trable shields.  Yea,  he  has  given  him  bones  of 
iron  and  steel,  and  has  made  his  race  to  last  for 


3^4 


A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 


HE  REJOICETH  AT  THE  POKING  OF  THE 
FIREMAN. 


Verse  29. 


{^■pp  I  As  chaflF 

^DtJ^nj  they  are  esteemed 

nnin  l  the  strokes  of  a  club,  or  hammer 

pnj^*^*)  !  and  he  will  laugh,  rejoice 


at  the  shaking,  poking 
of  the  fireman. 


Quasi  stipuluni 

aestimabit 

malleum, 

et  deridebit 

vibrantem 

hastem. 


"  Darts  are  counted  as  stubble  ;  he  laugheth  at  the  shak- 
ing of  a  spear. ' '  

The  meaning  generally  attributed  to  this  verse 
seems  to  be  but  a  repetition  of  the  idea  ex- 
pressed in  former  ones,  viz.,  that  darts  and  spears 
are  as  chaff  to  him. 

I  consider  as  more  probable  that  the  word 
(nniri)  thotharh^  rendered  clubs ^  darts ^  has  the  mean- 
ing of  hammer,  sledge.  The  Septuagint  and 
Vulgate  both  give  it  that  meaning. 

But  I  consider  that  this  word  is  the  subject, 
and  not  the  object  of  the  verb  to  esteem.  And 
as  the  verb  is  in  the  plural  so  should  be  its 
subject;  therefore  I  look  upon  this  word  as  mean- 
ing the  strokes  of  a  ha?nmer.     This  gives  us,  as 


IN    THE  BOOK    OF  JOB.  305 

the  meaning  of  this    passage :  "  The   strokes    of 
a  hammer  are  esteemed  as  chaff." 

The  Vulgate  has:  "As  stubble  will  he  esteem 
the  hammer.''  I  cannot  see  in  what  sen.se  (i 
hammer  can  be  said  to  be  as  stubble  to  him. 
unless,  as  I  have  just  shown,  the  original  be  in- 
tended for  the  strokes  of  a  hamnier. 

The  Septuagint  have  :  "  Hammers  are  esteemed 
as  stubble." 

This  version  does  not  render  this  passage  any 
more  intelligible  than  the  one  quoted  above.  But 
we  may  suppose  that  hammerings^  or  the  strokes 
of  a  hamvicr  are  here  meant,  and,  from  what  we 
have  already  seen  of  the  nature  of  this  monster, 
that  it  ma}^  refer  to  a  machine  constructed  of  iron, 
or  the  like,  which  would  be  likely  to  be  repeatedlj- 
struck  with  heavy  hammers  and  sledges  during 
the  process  of  its  construction.  In  this  sense  we 
may  conclude  that  the  leviathan  is,  at  times,  struck 
with  a  hammer  ;  but,  on  account  of  his  nature, 
that  these  strokes  are  as  nothing  (chaff)  to  him. 

If  we  but  glance  at  our  huge  locomotive,  when  \\\ 
process  of  construction,  we  will  at  once  realize  how 
applicable  to  him  are  these  singular  expressions. 

His  limbs  are  rolled  and  pressed,  and  fashioned 
with  heavy  sledges.  The  iron  plates  which  form 
his  body  are  being  rivetted  and  welded  with  the 
repeated  strokes  of  heavy  hammers.  The  clatter- 
ing noise  of  the  repeated  blows  he  is  receiving 
from  all  sides  is  almost  deafening,  yet  from  the 
sounds  he  emits,  one  might  think  that  he  is  re- 
joicing, and  laughing  the  louder,  the  heavier  the 


306  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

blows  he  receives,  as  though  scorning  the  efforts 
of  those  who  are  beating  him. 

When  his  masters  are  through  with  him, 
every  inch  on  his  back  bears  the  marks 
of  the  blows  he  has  sustained.  Yet,  strange  to 
say,  he  gives  evidence  of  being  stronger  than 
ever,  and  by  his  wonderful  feats  of  valor  soon 
becomes  the  admiration  of  all. 

His  shields  are  passed  through  the  fire  as  if  to 
prepare  them  for  the  great  heat  to  which  he  is 
to  be  exposed.  And  his  body  is  reared  up  and 
strengthened  b}^  blows,  that  he  may  be  able  to 
withstand  the  terrible  shocks  which  await  him  on 
his  way. 

Where  is  there  to  be  found,  among  wild  animals, 
one  which  can  boast,  with  as  much  propriety,  that 
the  blows  of  a  hammer  are  as  chaff  to  him. 

The  balance  of  this  verse  is  no  less  astonish- 
ing and  true  than  what  we  have  just  seen  ;  but 
it  has  not  received  full  justice  at  the  hands  of 
our  translators. 

Most  versions  render  it :  "  He  laugheth  at  the 
shaking  of  a  spear." 

The  vulgate  has  :  "  He  will  laugh  him  to  scorn 
who  shaketh  the  spear." 

The  original  is  susceptible  of  a  variety  of 
meanings.  Besides  the  above  we  might  render: 
"He  will  rejoice  at  the-  raging  of  war,  or,  at  a 
conflagration." 

I  consider  that  tabs  (PT^)  kidon  rendered  spear ^ 
javelin ;  is  a  derivative  of  (11?)  kadad^  meaning 
to  beal^   to  pound ^  hence  to  strike  fire ;  and  in  this 


IN    THK    HOOK    OF   JOB.  307 

instance  to  one  ivho  beats  or  pokes  the  fire ;  viz.,  a 
fireman.  Therefore  I  render  :  "  He  will  rejoice  at 
the  shaking  (or,  poking)  of  the  fireman." 

This  is  also  the  meaning  given  to  this  passage 

by    the     SeptUagint  :    "  Kara^eXa   6e  aeiafiov   nvp<l>opov."         Hc 

rejoiceth  at  the  shaking  of  the  fire-bearer. 

Could  anything  be  more  unexpected  than  the 
finding  of  such  strange  and  conclusive  evidence  of 
the  nature  of  the  leviathan  ? 

We  have  seen  in  verse  21,  that  /n's  inhaling 
is  said  to  vivify  the  coals  of  fire.  And  here,  un- 
doubtedly, it  is  at  the  poking  of  this  same  fire  by 
the  fireman,  that  he  is  said  to  rejoice. 

I  would  have  felt  it  hazardous  for  the  success  of 
my  w;ork,  to  have  ventured  to  assert,  at  the  begin- 
ning, that  Job  even  made  mention  of  a  fireman 
poking  the  fire  which  was  inside  of  this  monster. 
Luckily  my  views  are  fully  corroborated  by  the 
Septuagint,  as  shown  above. 

The  reader  will  fully  realize  the  propriety  and 
poetry  there  is  in  saying  of  our  intrepid  and  fleet- 
footed  monster,  who  seeks  no  better  than  to  show 
his  great  power  and  lightning  speed,  that  he  re- 
joiceth at  the  increasing  courage  he  feels  in- 
stilled into  his  blood  at  each  touch  of  the  life- 
giving  rod  of  the  fireman. 

This  singular  verse  will  now  become  interesting 
to  those  who  have  charge  of  Job's  great  leviathan. 
From  all  that  I  can  see,  it  was  originally  intended 
to  read  :  "  The  strokes  of  a  hammer  (or,  of  a  club) 
will  be  esteemed  as  chaff;  and  he  will  rejoice  at 
the  poking  of  the  fireman." 


368  A  WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY. 

In  reference  to  this  same  leviathan  we  find  a 
singular  passage  in  Job,  chap.  iii.  8,  where  he 
calls  down  dire  imprecations  upon  the  night  of 
his  birth.  It  reads:  "Let  them  curse  it  who 
curse  the  day,  them  who  are  ready  to  raise  up 
a  leviathan." 

The  Septuagint  render :  "  They  who  are  on 
the  eve  of  subjugating  the  leviathan." 

Prof.  Lee  has  :  "  Let  them  who  curse  the  day 
stigmatize  it,  who  are  ready  to  stir  up  the  levia- 
than." 

As  to  the  word  (DH^flJ^)  athidim^  rendered, 
they  who  are  ready ;  it  has  also  the  meaning  of 
they  who  are  prepared^  destined^  practiced^  skilful^ 
either  in  bringing  forth  or  handling  the  levia- 
than. Therefore  we  may  look  upon  this  passage 
as  referring  to  some  nation  that  was  either  des- 
tined to  bring  forth  this  leviathan,  or  that  would 
be  skilful  in  handling  him  or  stirring  him  up. 

As  to  the  difi&culties  of  this  verse,  -and  the 
doubtful  meaning  of  these  "  cursers  of  day," 
Barnes,  in  his  notes  on  this  passage,  says : 
"  This  entire  verse  is  exceedingly  difi&cult,  and 
many  different  expositions  have  been  given  of 
it.  The  practice  of  cursing  the  day,  or  cursing 
the  sun,  is  said  by  Herodotus  to  have  prevailed 
among  the  people  of  Africa,  whom  he  calls  the 
Atlantes,  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Atlas. 
"  Of  all  mankind,"  says  he,  "  of  whom  we  have 
any  knowledge,  the  Atlantes  alone  have  no 
distinction  of  names ;  the  body  of  the  people 
are    termed  Atlantes,   but    their  individuals  liave 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  309 

no  appropriate  appellation.  When  the  sun  is  at 
the  highest  they  heap  on  it  reproaches  and  execra- 
tions, because  their  country  and  themselves  are 
parched  by  its  rays."  Still,  Barnes  supposes  that 
reference  is  had  here  to  diviners  who  were  sup- 
posed to  have  power  to  render  a  day  of  ill  omen. 

But  I  doubt  very  much  that  Job  intended  to 
refer  here  to  any  such  people  ;  but  rather  that 
he  calls  on  all  those  who,  like  himself,  on  account 
of  overwhelming  grief  and  distress,  curse  the  very 
day  of  their  birth.  Then,  in  the  second  membet 
of  the  verse,  he  calls  on  even  them  who  (H)  would 
be  destined  to  bring  forth,  or  to  manage  with  skill, 
this  terrible  leviathan. 

Therefore  I  would  render :  "  Let  them  who 
curse  their  own  day,  curse  it ;  even  them  who 
are  destined  to  bring  forth  the  leviathan." 

In  this  light,  this  astonishing  and  difficult  verse, 
may  refer  either  to  England  or  America ;  as  both 
countries  have  been  very  prominent  and  success- 
ful in  bringing  forth  and  developing  our  numer- 
ous and  wonderful  appliances  of  steam,  and  both 
very  skilful  in  handling  and  stirrhig  up  to  full 
speed  our  modern  leviathan.  This  is  another  of 
those  difficult  passages  which  find  a  natural  anci 
astonishing  solution  when  viewed  as  referring  to 
our  modern  engine  of  power. 


310 


A    WONDKKFUl.    DISCO  VMKY 


HE  WILL  SPREAD  HIMvSELF  A  BED  OVER 
MARSHY  PLACES. 

Verse  30. 


vnrrn 

His  underparts 

Sub  ipso 

nnn 

notched  stakes, 

hewed  timbers 

erunt  radii 

■.■.^T 

of  the  artificer ; 

i^^^) 

solis ; 

"^Sn^ 

He  will  spread 

et  sternet  sibi 

PT? 

a  trench,  or,  an 

embankment 

aurum 

to»D-''?i 

upon  the  mire. 

quasi  lutum. 

Sharp  stones  are  under  him  ;  he  spreadeth  sharp  pointed 
things  upon  the  mire." 

This  verse,  like  many  others,  has  proved  a 
vexation, to  all  who  labored  to  fathom  its  mys- 
teries. Its  true  meaning  seems  to  have  re- 
mained a  deep  secret  up  to  the  present  day. 

I  have  not  found  a  commentator  who  seemed 
to  be  satisfied  that  he  had  succeeded  in  elucida- 
ting its  difficulties.  Undoubtedly,  had  they  pos- 
sessed the  key  to  this  description,  they  would 
have  left  us  quite  a  different  version  from  the 
one  we  have  at  present. 

The  principal  cause  of  the  trouble  has  been,  as 
in  many  other  instances,  the  various  and  widely 
different  interpretations  of  which  the  orginal  words 
are  susceptible.  \ 


IN    THK    BOOK    Oh    JOH.  3  I  1 

The  Vulgate  is  so  different  from  all  other  ver- 
sions, that  one  would  be  inclined  to  believe  that 
it  had  obtained  its  ideas  from  an  entirely  differ- 
ent source  from  the  one  we    now  have    at  hand. 

It  renders  :  "  The  rays  of  the  sun  will  be 
beneath  him  ;  and  he  will  spread  under  himself 
gold  as  clay."  This  is  about  as  difficult  to 
understand  as  the  original  itself  The  Septua- 
gint  have  also  a  singular  reading,  which  is : 
"  His  bed  is  of  sharp  stones,  and  all  the  gold 
of  the  sea  is  beneath  him  as  the  mire  the  most 
vile." 

It  is  evident  that  these  seventy  enlightened 
scholars  were  as  much  at  sea,  concerning  the 
meaning  of  this  verse,  as  most  of  those  of  our  own 
days.  Albert  Barnes  renders  as  follows  :  "  Under 
him  are  sharp  potsherds ;  he  spreadetli  out  his 
rough  parts  upon  the  mire." 

The  late  Revised  Version  of  Oxford  has : 
**  His  underparts  are  like  sharp  potsherds.  He 
spreadeth  as  it  were  a  threshing  wain  upon  the 
mire."  This  is  by  far  the  most  literal  rendering 
of  any  of  the  above.  Still,  the  reference  of  the 
second  hemistich  is  not  easily  perceived. 

B}^  explaining  the  difficulties  of  each  word  of 
this  verse  separatel}^,  the  reader  will  have  an 
idea  of  the  perplexities  which  translators  often 
meet  with. 

The  first  word,  as  seen  at  the  beginning,  means, 
his  MJidrrneath  parts.  It  is  the  same  word  which 
occurs  in  the  twenty-fourth  verse  designating 
somctliing  loii\  bniratli  ;  aiid   which,  according  to 


312  A   WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

the    requirements    of   that    verse,  I    rendered  the 
lower  rocks,  the  nether  stones. 

In  both  instances  it  is  an  adjective  without 
the  noun  or  the  name  of  the  thing  or  things 
which  it  is  intended  to  qualify.  This  often  occurs 
when  the  name  of  the  object  is  not  known,  or 
when  it  is  left  to  be  inferred  from  the  context. 
It  would  seem,  in  this  instance — and  this  can 
apply  to  this  entire  description — that  the  writer 
did  not  intend  to  specify  things  so  clearly  that 
any  one  could  comprehend  them  before  the  time 
of  their  fulfilment.  Such  is  found  to  be  the 
case  with  most  prophecies. 

Here,  then,  this  word  is  evidently  intended  to 
refer  to  things  which  were  underneath  this  mon- 
ster, literally,  his  underneath  parts. 

Some  translators,  supposing  that  the  bed  of 
this  monster  was  intended,  translated  accordingly. 
Others  render,  under  him^  which  is  not  literally 
correct,  as  the  pronominal  suffix,  in  the  Hebrew, 
is  •  in  the  possessive  and  not  in  the  objective 
case.  Then  again  the  adjective  is  in  the  plural ; 
so  that  it  cannot  be  literally  rendered  otherwise 
than  by  his  underneath  parts^  or  his  underparts. 
What  these  underparts  are,  is  obscurely  indicated 
by  the  two  words  which  follow,  (C^'^n  nTin).  Un- 
fortunately the  former,  in  its  present  form,  seems 
to  be  also  an  adjective  in  the  plural,  meaning 
something  sharps  hewed.,  cut  i?ito.  I  consider  that 
the  reference  here  is  to  notched  timbers.  This 
word  seems  to  be  intended  to  qualify  the  one 
following  it — (C'^n).     But  when  we  consider  how 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOIJ.  313 

many  different  meanings  may  be  given  to  this 
word  by  simply  varying  its  pointing — which, 
after  all,  must  be  admitted  to  be  often  very 
arbitrary — we  will  find  ourselves  in  a  dilemma 
from  which  we  cannot  ver}'  easily  extricate  our- 
selves. 

The  word,  as  it  now  appears,  means  a  sherd, 
potsherd,  i.  e.^  a  fragment  of  an  earthen  vessel. 
The  same  letters  pointed  thus  i^')^)  charash, 
mean  to  cut,  to  grave,  to  make.  Then  (^^'"^0) 
cha7'ash,  a?i  artificer,  craftsman.  Then  (S^'"}n) 
cheresh,  artificial  work ;  {^^^)  chorash,  a  cuttmg 
instrument ;  (t5^")n)  choresh,  a  thicket ;  and  Chaldee 
(^"^D)  charash,  to  be  entangled,  interwoven,  etc.. 
Thus  the  original  might  have  have  been  pointed 
by  the  Masorites  so  as  to  have  had  any  of  the 
above  meanings ;  as,  in  many  instances,  they 
must  have  been  guided  by  their  own  ideas  of 
the  meaning  of  a  word.  In  the  first  instance  it 
might  be  rendered,  "  His  underparts  are  sharp 
pieces  of  a  potsherd."  But  it  is  evident  that 
this  cannot  be  literally  true  of  any  animal.  A 
potsherd  is  only  a  fragfnent  of  earthenware. 

According  to  this,  the  meaning  would  be  that, 
the  underneath  parts  of  this  monster  were  sharp 
pieces  of  a  fragment.  Take  notice  that  the  ori- 
ginal does  not  say  that  these  parts  were  like,  or 
similar  to  fragments,  although  so  rendered  b}'- 
many. 

Taken  in  the  sense  of  (t^^^)  '^/z^^^-y^,  which  I 
consider  to  be  the  word  intended  here,  and  mean- 
ing   artificer,    craftsman,    we    have    the  following 


314         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

plausible  meaning :  "  His  underparts  are  sharp 
(or  notched)  stakes  of  the  artificer."  Or  we  may 
render :  "  The  parts  which  are  underneath  him  are 
sharp  stakes,  or  notched  timbers  of  the  craftsman." 

In  this  verse  it  would  seem  that  what  is  intended 
is  not  certain  members  of  this  monster's  body, 
but  parts  which  were  independent  of  him,  and 
which  were  notched^  cut  into  ;  the  handy  work  of 
man.  Most  likely  this  is  an  allusion  to  some 
sort  of  frame-work,  of  which  the  timbers  were 
cut  and  notched  to  fit  into  each  other.  This  was 
located  underneath  him  and  formed  something 
upon  which  he  rested  as  though  it  had  formed 
his  bed.  In  fact  such  is  the  sense  attributed  to 
these  words  by  the  Septuagint ;  that  is,  they  looked 
upon  these  sharp  things  as  forming  the  bed  upon 
which  the  leviathan  rested. 

A  glance  at  our  locomotive,  as  he  glides  along 
on  his  iron-bound  bed,  will  soon  reveal  to  us  the 
possibility  of  these  artificially  wrought  works 
referring  to  the  construction  of  the  railroad  track. 
It  is  a  fine  and  substantial  piece  of  workman- 
ship, formed  of  timbers  cut  and  notched  to  suit ; 
and  of  elongated  and  narrow  steel  bands  or  rails, 
also  the  work  of  the  artificer,  as  the  text  requires. 

All  this  is  substantially  united  and  braced 
together,  or  interzvoven^  as  implied  in  the  Chaldee 
sense  of  the  word  ip^TS)  char  ash.  This  forms, 
really — as  the  Septuagint  have  it — the  bed  of 
this  monster,  that  upon  which  he  rests  and  rolls. 

Thus  this  passage,  which  has  puzzled  so  many, 
would  be  to  us  another  very  unexpected  revelation. 


IN    THK    BOOK    OF   JOI;.  315 

Yet,  a  very  appropriate  meaiiing,  ai.d  one 
which  is  as  likely  to  have  been  intended  as  the 
above,  may  be  derived  from  the  same  words  of 
this  passage. 

Taking  the  word  (nnn)  ckaddouday,  as  referring 
to  sharp-pointed  stakes,  or  to  timbers  skilfully 
wrought,  or  cut,  (the  work  of  the  artificer)  we 
would  have:  "His  uuderparts  are  sharp-pointed 
stakes,  or,  timbers  skilfully  wrought." 

Here  then,  would  be  our  modern  trestle  works, 
made  of  long  sharp  spiles,  or  timbers  skilfully 
wrought,  and  united  together  with  cross  beams 
and  braces,  and  upon  which  rest  the  rails  of 
the  track. 

This  meaning  is  no  less  extraordinary  than 
the  first;  and,  as  I  have  just  said,  just  as  likely 
to  have  been  intended.  In  fact  it  would  agree 
better  with  the  Septuagint,  who  liken  these  sharp 
tkiiio-s,  to  long,  sharp  obelisks.  These  were  tall, 
square  pillars,  gradually  tapering  as  they  rose, 
and  erected  in  honor  of  distinguished  personages. 
A  row  of  such  pillars  with  braces  between  them, 
and  iron  rails  above,  would  correspond  very  well 
to  man}^  of  our  high  railroad  bridges.  But  tlie 
original  Hebrew  would  seem  to  favor  the  idea  of 
long  pointed  stakes,  or,  pieces  of  hewn  or  notched 
timbers,  rather  than  that  of  high  square  pillars. 

This  passage,  then,  can  refer  either  to  a  rail- 
road track,  as  a  piece  of  artificial  work,  or  to  the 
skilfully  wrought  timbers  of   our  trestle  works. 

Both  are  essential  to  the  onward  progress 
of  a  locomotive,  and  really  constitute,  as  the  text 


3l6        '  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY. 

requires,  his  underparts.  Both  are  closely  related, 
in  nature  and  purpose,  to  all  we  have  discovered 
of  this  wonderful  monster. 

As  to  the  second  member  of  this  verse,  I  sur- 
mise that  it  will  be  no  less  surprising  to  the  reader 
than  the  first.  The  word  ("^5"^)  raphad,  means, 
to  spread,  in  the  sense  of  one  spreading  his  bed. 
It  means  also  to  pave  a  road,  to  spi'ead  a  road 
with  something. 

The  Latin  word  used  here  by  the  Vulgate  has 
also  this  meaning.  The  next  word, — the  one 
on  which  has  been  wrecked  the  whole  meaning 
of  this  passage — is  (p'}^)  charouts,  which  means, 
primarily,  something  cut  down,  or,  cut  into ;  from 
which  a  ditch,  a  trench;  also  a  furrow,  an  em- 
bankinent,  from  being  elevated  and  cut  down  or 
dug  out  on  each  side.  This  word  has  also  been 
taken  here,  by  some  translators,  to  refer  to  a 
threshing  sledge.  In  ancient  times  these  sledges 
were  constructed  in  various  ways. 

The  one  which  might  have  been  referred  to 
here  was  made  like  a  low  truck,  such  as  is  often 
used  for  carrying  heavy  stones,  and  had,  instead 
of  wheels,  heavy  rollers  of  wood  or  stone.  This 
they  rolled  over  the  straw  with  oxen. 

I  cannot  see  how  this  meaning  of  the  word 
could  find  a  place  here,  unless  it  is  meant  that, 
what  was  spread  underneath  the  leviathan  re- 
sembled a  truck  or  a  threshing  sledge,  and  that 
it  rolled  "  over  marshy  places." 

Although  quite  applicable  to  our  railroad  trucks, 
I  cannot  admit  that  the    original  word  has  been 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  317 

intended  in  that  sense  here,  although  it  may  in 
the  sense  of  a  sledging  machine^  or  what  we 
noV7  call  a  spile-driver. 

This  would  give  also  two  very  unexpected  and 
quite  plausible  meanings  to  this  second  part  of 
the  verse. 

The  first  would  be  :  "  He  will  spread  a  trench 
(or  an  embankment)  upon  the  mire."  And  the 
second :  "  He  will  spread  it  ivith  a  sledge  upon 
the  mire,"  meaning  that  the  interwoven  work, 
or  trestle  work,  mentioned  in  the  first  part  of 
the  verse,  would  be  extended  and  constructed 
over  marshy  places  by  means  of  some  sort  of  a 
sledge,  or  spile-driver,  which  would  sledge  down 
the  sharp  spiles  in  marshy  places,  that  the  levia- 
than might  pass  over  in  safety. 

What  will  our  modern  railroad  engineers  say 
to  this?  I  say  modern^  because  it  is  now  quite 
evident  that  Job  knew  all  about  railroads  and 
railroad  bridges  long  before  they  did.  He  be- 
held and  admired,  centuries  ago,  the  marvels  of 
engineering  and  skill  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
He  knew,  long  before  us,  that  a  boiling  caldron 
would  be  made  to  run  to  and  fro,  and  to  lash 
the  sea  like  a  huge  monster. 

He  evidently  saw  the  engine  spreading  its  own 
bed  or  embankment  over  marshy  places  ;  and  ex- 
tending his  way  over  rivers  by  means  of  long 
and  sharp  spiles  driven  down  by  our  modem 
steam  sledging  machines.  Or  a  Brooklyn  bridge 
spread  over  immense  pillars  resembling  the  obe- 
lisks of  old. 


3l8  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

It  is  also  singular  and  worthy  of  remark  how 
often,  in  this  description,  we  meet  with  the  very- 
technical  expressions  made  use  of  in  our  days  by 
railroad  engineers. 

For  instance,  in  one  sense  of  the  present  verse, 
Job  speaks  of  the  locomotive  spreadi7ig  its  own 
bed.  The  space  which  lies  between  the  rails  and 
upon  which  rest  the  cross-ties,  is  called  this  day 
the  bed  of  the  road ;  it  is  generally  spread  with 
gravel  or  sand  carried  along  the  road  by  the 
engine  itself. 

It  is  amusing  to  see  to  what  length  some 
commentators  have  gone  to  show  how  this  verse 
could  apply  either  to  the  whale  or  to  the  croco- 
dile. It  is  an  interesting  study  to  compare  their 
various  works. 

I  fancy  that  our  iron-shielded  monster  is 
destined  to  crash  into  many  of  these  valuable 
works ;  to  explode  a  number  of  old  theories,  and 
to  tread  under  his  iron  hoofs  all  the  wild  mon- 
sters which  will  dare  to  dispute  his  claims  to 
the  championship,  and  to  the  name  of  leviathan. 
He  seems  destined  also  to  avenge  the  name  of 
the  great  prophet.  Job. 

I  would  now  offer  the  following  as  the  literal 
meaning  of  this  extraordinary  verse. 

"  His  underparts  are  hewed  timbers  of  the 
craftsman.  He  will  spread  an  embankment  upon 
the  mire." 


IN    THU    BOOK.    OF   jOik 


319 


HE  WIIX  CAUSE  THE  SEA  TO  BOH.. 

Verso  31. 


rrnT 

He  will  cause  to  be 

Fervescere  faciei 

"^'i?D 

as  a  boiling  pot 

quasi  ollam 

njp^ivp 

the  deep  places  ; 

profundam 

°! 

the  sea 

mare, 

he  will  render 

as  boiling  ointment 

et  ponet 

[bulliunt. 
quasi  cum  unguenta 

"  He  maketh  the  deep  sea  to  boil  like  a  pot,  he  maketh 
the  sea  like  a  pot  of  ointment." 


So  far,  everything  that  has  been  said  of  the 
leviathan  has  corresponded,  in  an  extraordinary 
manner,  with  the  locomotive,  or  self-propelling 
steam  engine. 

But  now,  in  this  verse,  it  is  evident  that  the 
allusion  is  to  some  powerful  sea  monster. 

He  is  represented  as  ploughing  up  the  deep 
places  and  lashing  the  waters,  even  of  the  great 
seas,  with  such  terrible  force  that  they  foam  and 
boil  up  as  though  they  were  a  kettle  of  boiling 
oil. 

It  is  evident  al.so  from  the  wording  of  the 
original,  that  two  different  bodies  of  water  are 
here  meant.  This  must  be  inferred  from  the 
difference  of  the    words    made   use    of,  and   from 


320  A   WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

the  reasonable  supposition  that,  had  a  similar 
body  of  water  been  intended  in  both  instances/ 
the  same  word  would  have  been  repeated. 

Consequently  this  difference  should  be  in- 
dicated in  our  translations.  The  deep^  and  the 
sea^  are  synomymous  expressions,  denoting  with 
us  the  same  thing.  It  would  therefore  be  better 
to  render  this  passage :  '  He  maketh  the  deep 
places^  or  the  deep  rivers  to  boil  like  a  pot." 
It  is  evident  to  me  that  the  idea  intended  to  be 
conveyed  by  these  deep  places  is,  that  this  crea- 
ture could  not  easily  move  about  in  shallow  water 
nor  in  low  raar&hy  places.  If  so,  neither  the  croco- 
dile nor  the  hippopotamus  could  have  been  meant 
here.  Neither  are  they  sea  monsters.  Neither 
do  they  amuse  themselves  in  lashing  the  sea  in 
the  extraordinary  manner  above  described. 

It  must  also  be  inferred  that  the  monster  here 
meant,  felt  as  much  at  home  in  the  midst  of  the 
sea  as  he  did  in  the  deep  rivers  of  fresh  water, 
which  is  not  the  case  with  the  two  creatures 
above  mentioned.  Some  deep  sea  monster  could 
make  out  a  better  claim  here.  But,  again,  these 
terrible  monsters  of  the  deep  do  not  inhabit  fresh 
water  streams.  Even  so,  all  that  has  been  said 
of  the  leviathan  should  also  be  found  to  apply 
to  such  a  monster;  and  none  have  been  found 
possessing  all  the  required  attributes.  Even 
the  powerful  champions  of  the  crocodile  and  of 
the  whale  have  had  a  hard  task  to  reduce  the 
armor  of  the  leviathan  to  fit  their  favorites. 

It  might    be  well    to    quote   here, — although  I 


IX    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  321 

will  refer  to  it  more  fully  at  the  end  of  this 
chapter — the  extraordinar\^  passage  which  occurs 
in  Psl.  civ.  26:  "There  the  ships  go  to  and  fro; 
and  leviathan,  that  one  which  thou  hast  formed 
to  sport  therein."  This  leviathan,  then,  must 
have  been  formed  to  sport  also  in  the  high  seas 
where  the  ships  go  to  and  fro.  It  is  evident 
also  that  it  can  no  longer  be  understood  of  a 
locomotive.  For  a  locomotive  does  not  run  in 
rivers  or  the  sea. 

Now  it  will  be  remembered  that,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  forty-first  chapter,  I  claimed  that  the 
only  difference  between  the  behemoth  and  the 
leviathan  was,  that  the  former  was  intended  to 
refer  more  particularly  to  the  stationary  steam 
engine,  whilst  the  latter  referred  to  the  locomo- 
tive, or,  to  the  self-propelling  engine  on  sea  or  on 
land. 

In  the  verse  under  consideration,  it  is  still  the 
self-propelling  steam  engine  which  is  had  in  view, 
but  under  a  new  form  and  in  a  new  capacit3\ 

It  is  here  our  self-propelling  marine  engine,  or 
steam  as  applied  to  steamships  and  steamboats. 

To  what  monster  of  the  deep  could  the  words 
of  this  verse  apply  with  more  force  and  pro- 
priety than  to  those  tremendous  and  exceedingly 
powerful  engines  which  propel  our  monster  ships 
through  the  deep  seas  ? 

With  its  terrible  revolving  fins,  this  creature 
of  destiny  lashes  the  briny  deep  into  billows 
of  raging  foam  till  it  seems,  indeed,  like  a  kettle 
of  boiling  oil. 


322         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

He  makes  of  the  sea  a  place  of  promenade. 

A  deep  river  he  causes  to  swell  and  boil  as 
though  it  were  "  a  pot  of  boiling  water.  This  is 
easily  understood  of  the  huge  swells  and  great 
agitation  of  the  water  caused  b}'  the  paddle  wheels. 

Our  steamships  and  steamboats  abhor  shallow 
water  and  marshy  places.  Therefore  is  the 
leviathan  spoken  of  as  sporting  only  in  deep 
places. 

It  is  also  a  singular  fact  that  the  largest  and 
most  powerful  steamship  ever  built  was  called 
the  Leviathan,  I  have  reference  to  the  one  which 
was  afterwards  named  The  Great  Eastern. 

Our  modern  monster  of  power  is,  therefore,  also 
amphibious,  and  fulfills  to  the  letter  the  words 
of  this  verse ;  viz.,  "  He  will  cause  deep  places  to 
become  as  a  boiling  pot ;  he  will  make  the  sea  to 
appear  like  boiling  ointment." 


IN'    THl',    BOOK    Ol'    JOI!. 


323 


HlC    LKAVKS    A    FOAMING    PATH    BEHIND    HIM. 


Verae   32. 

vnnK 

His  hinder  part  (or 

parts) 

Post  cum 

■^'iJ? 

will  cause  to  shine 

lucebit 

2'r\; 

a  path. 

semita. 

DCTT! 

One  will  think 

^listimabit 

Dinri 

the  deep  sea 

abyssum 

:  ny;^'? 

as  if  growing  gray. 

quasi  senescentem 

"  He  maketh  a  path  to  shine  after  him  ;  one  would  think 
the  deep  to  be  hoary." 


This  verse  is  uot  difficult  to  understand.  With 
the  exception  of  the  Septuagint,  all  agree  in  their 
rendeiings. 

Some  commentators,  however,  differ  as  to  the 
proper  application  of  the  word  rendered  sea. 
Those  who  look  upon  the  crocodile  as  being  al- 
luded to,  suppose  that  it  refers  to  some  large 
river,  or  to  the  Nile. 

Prof.  Lee,  referring  to  Bochart,  in  loco,  sa3's 
that  "he  has  not  been  able  to  show  that  (DlUri) 
lehoiii,  has  ever  been  applied  to  anj^  river,  much 
less  the  Nile." 

The  Septuagint  have :  ''  The  unknown  ex 
pause  of  the  deep  is  as  a  captive  to  him ;  he 
converteth   the  deep  into  a  place  of   promenade." 


324  A    WONDERFUIv    DISCOVERY 

This  is  another  of  those  singular  passages  we 
meet  with  in  this  Greek  Version.  Where  they  got 
their  ideas  from  will  probably  never  be  known 
to  us. 

It  is  singular  that  seventy  of  the  best  scholars 
of  those  days  should  here  all  agree  to  this  ren- 
dering of  the  Hebrew.  It  would  appear  more 
probable  that  they  followed  some  old  tradition  or 
manuscript,  with  which  we  are  unacquainted. 

Nevertheless  it  is  worthy  of  a  place  among 
the  original  ones. 

We  must  concede  that  it  agrees  well  with  the 
character  of  this  description,  and  suits,  in  a  re- 
markable manner,  the  views  I  have  advanced. 
Steam  has,  indeed,  conquered  the  sea  and  its  ter- 
rors ;  and  has  made,  of  its  vast  expanse,  a  sporting- 
ground. 

It  is  evident  that  the  Septuagint  looked  upon 
the  leviathan  as  the  master  of  the  deep,  and  not 
as  a  crocodile  or  any  other  such  insignificant 
creature  of  the  mire. 

Upon  closer  study  of  this  verse,  I  find  that 
there  is  expressed  in  it  an  idea  which  does  not 
seem  to  have  been  noticed,  and  which  has  some 
value  under  the  present  circumstances. 

The  first  word  of  this  verse  which  has  been 
rendered,  "after  him,"  is  not  an  adjective,  but  a 
substantive  and  should  be  rendered,  'his  hinder 
parts.  The  original  word  is  far  more  frequently 
used  in  the  plural.  With  suffixes — as  in  the 
present  case — the  plural  form  is  always  used. 
(Gesenius,  lex.) 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF  JOB.  325 

Consequentl}'  we  should  read :  "  His  hinder 
parts  will  cause  a  path  to  shine."  We  have  seen 
described  in  the  previous  verse  the  action  of  the 
paddle-wheels  of  a  steamboat,  as  they  lash  the 
waters  into  foaming  billows. 

In  a  certain  class  of  boats  and  ships,  these 
wheels  are  located  on  each  side ;  and  I  presume 
it  is  to  this  class  of  boats  that  the  description 
of  the  previous  verse  refers. 

But  here  it  would  appear  that  these  parts  which 
caused  his  path  to  shine,  were  located  at  the  rear, 
and  not  at  the  sides  of  the  one  alluded  to. 

I  can  see,  then,  in  the  first  word  of  this  verse, 
a  direct  allusion  to  our  stern-wheel  ships  and 
steamboats. 

Most  of  our  steamships  of  to-day  are  built 
with  screw  propellers,  and  many  of  our  Missis- 
sippi boats — on  account  of  the  narrow  and  shallow 
stream  they  navigate — are  obliged  to  place  their 
propelling  wheel  in  the  rear. 

Really  it  would  seem  as  though  the  holy  man 
Job  was  not  of  the  past,  but  of  the  present.  Or 
as  though  he  had  been  transported  in  spirit  to 
these  localities.  He  seems  to  have  seen  our 
overflows,  and  steam  drainage  machines  (chap, 
xl.  23,  24.)  He  has  just  described  our  trestle- 
works  and  road-beds  laid  through  our  numerous 
marshy  places. 

And  now  he  sees  and  describes  either  those 
unique  stern-wheel  boats,  or  our  modern  steam- 
ships with  screw  propellers. 

The  literal  rendering    of   this    verse  is  :  "  His 


326  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

hinder  parts  will  cause  a  path  to  shine ;  one  will 
think  the  deep  to  be  growing  gray." 

The  reference  of  this  description  to  the  well- 
know  action  of  a  powerful  steamer,  cannot  be 
mistaken.  Who  has  not  often  admired  the  spark- 
ling path  of  hoary  foam  which  our  swift  steamers 
leave  after  them,  as  they  pass  through  the  briny 
deep  ?  They  cause  Neptune  to  boil  and  foam 
with  such  rage  that,  indeed,  one  would  think  that 
his  locks  had  turned  gray  with  fright;  whilst 
his  whole  face  frowns  with  dee!p  furrows  and 
huge  wrinkles,  at  the  rapid  advance  of  this  new 
Monarch  of  the  deep.  And  well  he  may,  for 
Leviathan  has  come  to  conquer  his  domains  and 
all  his  tributaries,  and  to  banish  for  ever  the 
terrors  of  his  name. 


IN     THE    BOOK    OK    lOB. 


327 


UPON  EARTH  THERE  IS  NOTHING  LIKE  HIM. 


r^ 

There  is  none,  or,  nothing, 

Non  est  potestas 

'^PX'^y. 

upon  the  dust,  earth 

super  terram 

i7ii^D 

like  him. 

quiE  comparetur  e- 

"^^^^6 

he  that  is  made — constructed 

qui  factus  est 

nn-*'?3'? 

that  he  can  fear  nothing. 

ut  nullum  timeret 

"Upon  earth  there  is  not  his  like,  who  is  made  without 
fear. ' '  

This  will  be  found  to  be  a  very  important 
verse.  Although  it  docs  not  appear,  at  first 
sight,  to  contain  any  extraordinar}'  disclosures, 
yet  the  broad  assertion  that,  "  upon  eartli  there 
is  not  his  like,"  would  seem  to  exclude  the 
possibility  of  there  being  then  on  earth,  or  of 
having  been  up  to  that  time,  any  animal  or 
mechanical  device  at  all  like  this  leviathan. 

The  Vulgate  has  inserted  tlie  word  potestas^ — 
power ;  giving  to  the  first  member  of  this  verse 
the  following  meaning :  "  There  is  not  upon 
earth  a  poiver  which  can  be  compared    to    him." 

Although    this    rendering   is    strongl}'    in    my 
favor,  yet  I    prefer  the  original,  which  I    render  : 
"There    is     nothing     upon    the     dust    (or,    upon 
the   whole  earth)    like    him;     he  that  is    so  con 
structed  that  he  can  fear  nothint::. 


328  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

As  will  be  observed,  the  original  does  uot  limit 
its  comparsion  to  a  power,  nor  to  an  animal.  It  em- 
phatically asserts  that,  "  There  is  nothing  upon 
the  dnst  (or,  upon  the  whole  earth,)   like  him.'" 

The  italicized  words  are  not  expressed  in  the 
original,  although  usually  included  in  the  idea 
conveyed  by  the  word  Jiothing  or  not.  We  could 
as  well  render,  there  was  7iothing.^  or,  there  will 
be  nothing.,  if  the  context  required  it. 

Therefore  it  cannot  be  argued  that  the  com- 
parison is  intended  only  with  such  monsters  as 
were  then  in  existence. 

Moreover  it  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  it 
has  never  been  definitely  decided,  up  to  the 
present  day,  to  what  animal  or  animals  the 
wonderful  attributes  of  behemoth  and  leviathan 
could  apply. 

Then  again  the  word  animal  or,  beast  does 
not  occur  once  in  any  of  the  forty-four  verses 
of  this  description.  At  times  it  would  seem 
"most  essential  and  natural  that  either  of  the 
above  names  should  appear,  yet,  as  if  for  some 
mysterious  reason,  they  do  not.  For  instance  in 
the  present  verse,  how  natural  to  have  said  (if 
this  description  referred  to  an  animal),  "There  is 
no  animal  upon  earth  like  this  one." 

Yet  this  would  not  have  settled  the  question 
according  to  the  views  of  some  of  our  expositors. 

For  they  who  favor  the  whale,  try  to  make  a 
point  of  this  by  arguing  that  it  is  here  meant 
that,  there  is  no  animal  on  land  at  all  comparable 
to  this  creature  of  the  sea. 


IN    THK    HOOK    OF  JOB.  329 

Prof.  Lee  says :  "  The  distinction  intended  is, 
that,  as  this  is  a  water  animal,  no  snch  other 
can  be  found  on  land.  But  this  cannot  be  said 
of  the  crocodile,  which  is  amphibious." 

To  this  I  would  answer  that  the  Professor  is 
evidently  arguing  from  a  very  gratuitous  assump- 
tion. 

Nowhere  is  it  stated  that  the  leviathan  here 
described,  is  an  animal.  Neither  is  it  at  all 
distinctl}'  asserted  that  the  leviathan  is  to  be 
found  exclusively  in  the  water,  or  on    the    land. 

On  the  contrar}-,  the  most  learned  exegetists 
have  decided  that  the  one  here  meant  must  have 
been  amphibious. 

Moreover,  to  assert  that  it  is  intended,  in  this 
verse,  to  establish  a  distinction  between  this  water 
animal  and  all  land  animals,  is,  to  say  the  least, 
very  improbable. 

The  natural  distinction  itself,  between  these 
two  species  of  creatures,  is  so  great  that  it  almost 
entireh'  precludes  the  necessity  of  affirming  any 
such  distinction  ;  and  especially  in  a  case  where, 
as  claimed  here  b}^  Prof.  Lee,  reference  is  had 
exclnsively  to  some  water  animal.  Surel}^  no 
one  would  expect  to  find  anything  like  a  whale 
upon  land. 

Then  again  is  it  not  absurb  to  sa}-  that  what 
is  meant  here,  is,  that  there  can  be  found  on  land 
no  other  such  water  animal  as  this  ? 

As  it  has  seemed  evident  to  the  best  scholars 
who  have  made  a  serious  study  of  this  descrip- 
tion, that  an  amphibious  monster  is  here  alluded 


330  A    WONDERFUL    DLSCOVERY 

to,  then  the  expression  upon  the  dust^  upon  the 
earth,  would  have  to  be  accepted  as  referring  to 
the  whole  world,  land  and  water  That  is,  the 
leviathan  on  land  has  not  its  equal  or  its  like 
among  all  the  creatures  of  the  earth.  And,  as 
a  sea  monster,  his  like  or  his  equal,  cannot  be 
found  among  all  the  animals  of  the  deep. 

This  would  give  to  the  original  words  their 
broadest  and  fiillest  sense,  viz.,  that  there  is 
nothing  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth  which 
can  be  compared  to  this  one. 

Naturally,  in  a  comparison  between  the  levia- 
than and  the  animals  of  the  earth  or  of  the  sea, 
we  would  be  limited  to  the  points  of  excellence 
claimed  for  him  in  the  description  given.  This 
is  what  I  have  aimed  to  do  in  comparing  the 
extraordinary  attributes  of  the  so-called  leviathan 
with  the  well-known  capacities  of  our  modern 
creature  of  power. 

If  the  latter  has  filled  the  description,  even 
better  than  anything  else  which  has  been  pro- 
posed, then  the  probability  of  having  discovered 
the  long-sought-for  leviathan  will  become  a 
matter  of  study  and  discussion  for  those  who 
feel  interested  in  such  an  extraordinary  claim. 

With  the  majority  will  rest  the  final  decision. 

But,  unless  they  discover  some  yet  unheard-of 
iron-ribbed  and  fiery  flying  serpent,  I  am  confident 
our  modern  leviathan  will  have  no  cause  to  fear, 
any  more  than  he  fears  now  an  elephant  or  a  croco- 
dile with  which  he  often  sports  on  the  way. 

It    would    appear    then,   from    the    wording  of 


IN    THE    BOOK.    Ol-    JOB.  33  ^ 

this  passage,  that  the  leviathan  could  have  had 
uo  rivals,  neither  upon  land  nor  in  the  sea. 
This  is  certainly  claiming  a  great  deal  more  for 
this  one  than  can  be  claimed  for  any  monster 
of  which  we  have  any  knowledge. 

It  could  not  apply  to  any  species  of  whale  for 
they  all  have  enemies  which  worry  them  and 
even  cause  their  death. 

Then  there  is  no  species  of  whale  which  is 
so  unlike  any  other  that  it  can  be  said  that, 
there  is  Jiothiuir  like  hint. 

Moreover  a  whale  is  not  amphibious.  For 
similar  reasons  this  verse  could  nut  apply  to  the 
elephant. 

Neither  can  this  verse  apply  to  the  crocodile, 
for  he  has  not  only  his  equal  on  land,  but  also 
animals  which  are  by  far  his  superiors  in  many 
respects. 

Undoubtedly  many  a  mastodon  would  have 
thought  little  of  him  as  a  rival. 

The  only  points  in  which  he  seems  to  answer 
the  description  of  the  leviathan  are,  his  impene- 
trable scales  and  his  amphibious  nature.  Yet 
in  these  respects  he  does  not  excel  even  an 
ordinary  large  sea  turtle. 

Then  again,  the  crocodile  is  not  a  creature  of 
the  sea.  Neither  can  it  be  claimed  that  he  has 
not,  in  some  way,  his  like  or  his  equal  in  the 
sea,  for  he  wonld  make  a  very  poor  show  in  a 
contest  with  a  shark  or  a  sword-fish  ;  either  of 
these  would  soon  destroy  his  so-called  impene- 
trable shield.     They  also  excel  him   in     i)oint  of 


332         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

fierceness  and  swiftness  of  motion,  two  of  the 
great  attributes  of  the  leviathan,  as  we  have 
already  seen. 

From  the  extraordinary  assertions  made  con- 
cerning the  qualities  of  this  leviathan,  we  are  led 
to  infer  that  there  could  be  none  so  swift  and 
so  enduring  as  he ;  none  so  heartless,  nor  so 
fiery;  none  possessed  of  such  a  perfect  shield  ; 
none  so  powerful.  In  fact  it  is  said  that,  among 
all  the  creatures  that  trod  the  dust  there  is  none 
like  him. 

These  last  words,  as  I  have  shown,  cannot  be 
limited,  in  their  application,  either  to  certain 
times  or  to  certain  creatures.  The^^  are  most  broad 
in  their  signification.  All  times  and  creatures  are 
present  before  God.  And  when  He  says  that, 
"  There  is  nothing  like  him,"  or,  "  nothing  simi- 
lar to  him,  among  all  the  creatures  that  tread  the 
dust "  or  live  upon  the  earth,  then  this  monster 
must  have  been  radically  different  from  all  the 
created  animals  that  were  then,  or  consequentl}^, 
ever  have  been  since.' 

We  have  this  daj^  in  our  midst  just  such  a 
monster  in  our  fiery  iron-clad  dragon.  It  far 
surpasses,  by  its  unlimited  power  and  capacity, 
by  its  great  speed  and  endurance,  by  its  peculiar 
nature  and  construction,  and  b}'  its  vast  import- 
ance to  .mankind,  any  animal  which  was  then  in 
existence,  or  any  power  which,  to  our  knowledge, 
has  appeared  on  this  earth  up  to  the  present 
time. 

Not  only  does  it  seem  evident    that  it    is    the 


IN    THE    ROOK    OF   JOB.  333 

one  alluded  to,  but  it  is  clearly  to  be  inferred  from 
these  words  of  the  Lord  to  Job,  "  There  is  uof/iiN^r 
like  him,"  that  no  such  a  contrivance  of  power 
existed  on  this  earth  at  that  time.  Moreover,  in 
the  last  verse,  it  is  also  clearly  indicated  that  no 
other  "  conception  of  power,"  will  ever  supersede  it. 

From  the  few  remaining  words  of  this  verse 
there  are  still  important  conclusions  to  be  drawn. 
I  find  the  passage  to  mean :  "  He  that  is  so  con- 
structed that  he  can  fear  nothing." 

The  Vulgate  has  :  "  He  who  is  made  that  he 
may  fear  nothing." 

It  will  be  remembered  that,  in  verse  twent}-- 
fourth,  it  is  said  that,  "  His  heart  is  as  firm  as 
a  stone,"  which  I  then  interpreted  as  meaning 
that  this  monster  had  no  heart  at  all,  no  feel- 
ings. 

The  present  verse  would  seem  to  corroborate 
these  views,  for  it  plainly  indicates  that  the 
leviathan  is  made  in  such  a  way  that  he  can 
fear  nothing. 

A  creature  that  cannot  fear  anything,  or  is 
made  without  the  sense  of  fear,  must  have  very 
blunted  feelings,  or,  most  probably,  none  at  all. 
I  do  not  know  where  such  a  monster  could  be 
found,  unless    it  be  indeed  one   with  iron  sinews. 

The  most  ferocious  and  wild  animals  fear 
thunder  and  lightning.  They  all  fear  a  blazing 
fire.  All  animals  seem  to  have  an  innate  knowl- 
edge and  fear  of  their  enemies.  I  am  satisfied 
that  all  animals  can  be  put  to  flight  by  one  means 
or  another.     Yet  this  strangest  of  all  monsters — 


334  -^    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

the  leviathan — fears  neither  arrows  nor  spears, 
neither  fire  nor  water.  He  seems  to  rejoice  at 
the  blows  of  a  sledge-hammer,  and  at  the  poking 
of  a  fireman. 

And  the  Vnlgate  tells  us  (verse  23)  that  even 
were  the  lightnings  to  strike  him,  not  one  of  his 
limbs  would  move. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Possibly  the  reader  has 
uot  taken  notice  that  the  leviathan  is  not  said 
to  have  been  created  without  fear,  but  that  he  is 
thus  made^  constructed. 

It  is  the  same  word  made  use  of,  in  the  first 
verse  of  the  description  of  behemoth. 

In  both  instances  the  word  has  been  rendered 
almost  unanimously  by  the  verb  to  make,  and 
not  to  create. 

The  primary  idea  of  the  M^ord,  says  Gesenius, 
lies  probably  m.^  forming.,  shaping.,  cutting.  Latin, 
facere.     Then  to  construct.,  to  build. 

This  Hebrew  word  is  not  at  all  the  same  as 
the  one  made  use  of  to  denote  creation.  Neither 
can  these  words  be  used  indiscriminately. 
Numerous  instances  throughout  the  Bible  attest 
the  truth  of  this.  The  word  (^?'^^)  bara  is  the 
one  used  to  denote  creation;  and  it  might  be 
said  to  be  sacred  in  its  application  to  the  crea- 
tions of  God,  as  it  is  the  one  made  use  of  in 
Genesis,  chap.  i.  i. 

This  description  of  the  behemoth  and  levia- 
than is  such  an  extraordinary  one,  that  I  am 
.satisfied  no  one  will,  henceforth,  look  upon'it  as 
-a  production  from  Job's  own   mind,  but  rather  as 


i\    riiK  iJooK  oi-  joK.  335 

inspired  throughout.  In  fact  the  book  itself  tells 
us  that  it  was  the  Lord  himself  who  spoke  these 
words  to  Job. 

Taking  this  for  grauted,  then  it  was  the  Ivord 
himself  who  made  u.se  of  the  expression  to  niakt'^ 
instead  of  to  create. 

Had  it  been  a  subsequent  writer  wlu)  had 
penned  these  Hebrew  characters,  according  to  his 
own  ideas  of  an  ancient  tradition,  he  would  most 
undoubtedly  have  looked  upon  such  a  wonderful 
monster  as  a  direct  creation  of  God, — as  all  others 
have — and,  consequently,  he  would  not  have 
dared  to  make  use  of  any  expression  which 
might  have  cast  a  doubt  upon  the  origin  of  his 
description  and  of  the  creature  itself.  Therefore 
it  is  probable  that  he  would  have  made  use  of 
the  word  to  creat4\  instead  of,  to  ynake.  to  construct. 

What  has  seemed  doubtful  in  the  eyes  of 
those  who  looked  upon  these  monsters  as  created 
wild  animals,  becomes,  when  viewed  in  this  new 
light,  positive  evidence  in  favor  of  the  direct  in- 
spiration of  this  wonderful  description. 

The  leviathan  then,  according  to  the  strict 
meaning  of  the  original  words,  is  not  said  to 
have  been  created  in  such  a  manner  that  he  can 
fear  nothing,  but  that  he  is  constructed.,  or,  built 
in  such  a  manner  that  he  can  fear  nothing. 

Nothing  could  point  out  more  clearly  than  this 
that  the  leviathan  is  not  an  animal,  but  a  power- 
ful motor  and  mechanical  contrivance,  which,  of 
course,  being  constructed  of  iron  or  other  such, 
materials,  cannot  possess  the  sense  of  fear. 


336  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY. 

It  might  be  asked,  how  then  it  is  that  in 
chap.  xl.  I.  The  Lord  says :  *'  Behold,  now, 
behemoth  which  /  have  made  to  be  with  thee." 

To  this  I  would  answer  that,  in  the  same  sense 
as  intended  here,  the  General  claims  to  have  won 
the  victory,  and  the  manufacturer  to  have  made 
his  goods,  although  each  of  these  has  but  planned 
and  provided  the  means  for  the  result  intended. 

In  the  hands  of  the  Great  Architect  of  the 
universe  we  are,  in  things  material,  as  his  me- 
chanics, his  tools.  He  owns  the  whole  earth.  He 
has  provided  all  the  materials  which  are  necessary 
to  accomplish  the  end  he  has  in  view,  and  He 
claims  the  results  as  his  and  of  his  oivn  make. 

In  all  our  improvements  and  discoveries,  we 
are  but  utilizing  the  materials  and  developing  the 
faculties  which  God  has  given  us. 

Behold,  then,  in  this  sense,  behemoth  and  levia- 
than which  the  Lord,  indeed,  has  provided  for  us. 

That  we  might  not  forget  this.  He  had  it 
written,  from  the  beginning,  in  His  book. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB. 


337 


HK  TvS  KING 
OVHR  ALL  CO^XMvPTIONS  OF  POWER. 


Versa  34. 


r^N* 

This  one 

Omne 

nnr7D 

all  that  is  great,  high, 

sublime 

\nNn' 

he  will  oversee,  see  to  ; 

videt; 

nVh 

He 

Ipse  est 

-t'D-'7j;^'?p 

is  king  over  all 

rex  super 

*JD 

children,  progeny,  conceptions 

universes  filios 

:}TO 

of  fierceness,  power,  pride. 

superbiae. 

"  He  beholdeth  all  high  things;  he  is  king  over  all  the 
children  of  pride."  

ThIvS  is  the  last  verse  of  this  most  extraordi- 
nary description  and  prophecy. 

It  will  be  found  to  equal,  in  its  sublime  con- 
ception and  poetic  beauty,  any  of  those  which 
have  preceded  it. 

A  few  elucidations  only  will  be  necessary, 
that  the  proper  application  of  the  orii^inal  words 
may  be  more  fully  understood.  M(jst  versions 
render:  "He  beholdeth  all  high  thin.irs."  The 
Vulgate  and  Septuagint  have :  **  He  belioldcth 
all  that  is  sublime."  How  this  could  apply  to  a 
whale,  or  to  a  crocodile,  will  undoubtedly  prove 
a  mystery  to  the  unprejudiced  reader.      Yet   most 


33S  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

of  our  great  writers  on  the  subject  labor  hard 
to  prove  that  it  does.  They  have  tried  to  ex- 
plain away  the  difficulties  of  this  passage  by 
saying  that  the  whale,  or  the  crocodile,  looks 
down  with  contempt  upon  all  that  is  high  and 
great;  that  he  considers  every  thing  as  inferior 
to  himself. 

I  am,  indeed,  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  our 
learned  scholars  ever  arrived  at  such  a  conclusion. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  not  quite  evident  that 
this  is  the  primary  meaning  of  the  original  words  ; 
nor  is  there  anything  in  the  context  that  tends 
to  show  that  they  should  be  taken  in  this  sense, 
viz. ;  to  look  down  upon  all  that  is  high,  or  great. 
Moreover,  it  must  be  admitted  that,  whatever  may 
be  meant  here  by  all  that  is  high,  or  great,  iiiMSt 
be  taken  in  a  very  broad  sense,  and  cannot  be 
restricted  to  one  or  two  objects  to  be  seen  in  some 
one  locality ;  or  to  a  few  things  which  might  be 
visible  to  an  inferior  animal  or  class  of  animals. 

As  to  what  these  great  things  are,  may  be  sur- 
mised from  what  we  find  indicated  in  the  second 
member  of  this  verse,  where  this  leviathan  is  said 
to  be  "  king  over  all  conceptions  of  power."  In 
this  sense  it  would  be  natural  to  suppose  that  this 
monster  was  well  adapted  to  see  to  all  such  great 
thing  as  required  great  power,  great  strength,  and 
that,  naturally,  as  king  over  all  conceptions  of 
power,  he  may  be  said  to  look  up  to  all  that  is 
high,  great,  or  difficult  to  accomplish ;  or  that  he 
is  present  and  oversees  all  great  undertakings. 
l^Vom  this  would  appear  the  propriety  of  his  uaine. 


IN    TIIK    liOOK    Ol'^   JOH.  339 

Moreover  the  fact,  that  the  leviathan  is  here 
personified,  must  not  be  lost  sight  of;  and  that 
consequently,  in  the  high  poetry  of  the  language, 
he  is  said  to  see^  to  oversee^  instead  of  being  rep- 
resented as  actually  dohig  or  p87'forming  the  hard 
work  himself.  So  that  really,  the  sense  is  that, 
this  monster  accomplishes  all  great  things^  great 
tasks,  great  undertakings. 

If  we  wish  to  accept  this  passage  in  the  sense 
of  to  look  down  upon  all  that  is  great,  or  difficult, 
we  would  have  no  trouble  in  finding  a  very  suit- 
able application  of  these  words  to  our  king  of 
power,  who  seems  to  scorn  the  greatest  and  most 
difficult  undertakings.  They  are  indeed,  to  him, 
as  nothing. 

In  the  second  place,  even  if  the  original  had  the 
meaning  which  our  expositors  attribute  to  it,  there 
is  not  the  faintest  ground  for  asserting  that  a 
crocodile,  or  a  whale,  looks  down  with  pride  and 
contempt  upon  all  that  is  high  or  great. 

All  that  a  crocodile  has  the  opportunity  of 
looking  down  upon  is,  the  mud  and  mire  which 
are  beneath  him. 

This  is  far  from  being  all  that  is  high  o^  great. 
Neither  can  these  words  apply  to  a  whale;  for 
all  that  it  can  look  down  upon  is,  the  depth 
beneath  it.  This  is  not  to  see  all  that  is  high, 
but  just  the  reverse. 

Moreover  it  requires  intelligence  to  look  down 
upon  anything  with  contempt.  The  crocodile, 
especially,  does  not  seem  to  have  much  of  this 
to  spare. 


340  A    WONDERFUL    DIvSCOVERY 

You  will  soon  perceive  that  it  is  only  in  tlie 
application  of  the  original  words  to  the  steam 
engine  in  its  various  capacities,  that  we  can  un- 
derstand their  true  meaning,  and  realize  their 
sublime  beauty.  Verbatim  it  reads :  "  This  one 
will  see  (or  oversee)  all  that  is  great."  Now, 
in  fact,  does  not  the  steam  engine,  although  in 
its  infancy,  visit  almost  all  parts  of  the  world  ; 
attend  to  all  great  expositions ;  come  face  to  face 
with  the  greatest  rulers  of  the  earth,  and  mount 
up  to  the  top  of  the  'highest  mountains,  or  even 
bore  through  them  if  they  prevent  him  from 
seeing  other  wonders  beyond  ? 

As  I  have  shown,  the  same  words  have  also 
the  meaning  of,  to  oversee^  to  siiperintend  all  that 
is  high^  all  that  is  great^  difficult.  And  here 
behold  again  our  king  of  power.  At  the  sound 
of  his  voice  all  gather  around  him  to  their  work. 
He  oversees,  as  it  were,  all  great  and  difficult 
undertakings,  for  he  himself  manages  the  drill, 
the  saw,  and  the  sledge.  He  superintends  the 
most  herculean  tasks.  He  sees  to  the  erection  of 
our  greatest  monuments.  He  is  proud  of  his 
ability  and  strength,  and  never  fails  to  be  called 
upon  in  all  that  is  great  and  difficult. 

Yea,  he  laughs  at  the  feeble  efforts  of  both 
men  and  beasts.  The  greater  the  task  he  has 
to  accomplish  the  prouder  he  feels. 

His  self-reliance  is  as  enduring  as  the  strength 
and  thickness  of  his  shields. 

These,  indeed,  are  qualities  worthy  of  a  levia-i 
than,  and  of  an  inspired  pen. 


IN    THH    BOOK    OK   JOB.  34 1 

The  second  part  of  this  verse  is  not  as  easily 
understood  as  the  first. 

Most  versions  follow  the  Vulgate  which  ren- 
ders it :  "  He  himself  is  king  over  all  children 
of  pride." 

I  believe  that  the  expres.sion  ckildreii  of  pride 
should  be  taken  in  the  widest  acceptation  of  the 
term,  and  not  restricted  to  Ike  children  of  pride. 
In  the  latter  sense  it  would  have  to  be  taken 
as  intended  to  refer  to  some  special  nation,  or 
class  of  people  already  mentioned,  or  well-known. 
This  does  not  seem  to  be  the  case.  Then  again,  in 
strict  conformity  to  the  wording  of  the  original, 
we  would  have  to  suppose,  in  this  case,  that  this 
monster  was  not  a  beast  or  thing  of  power,  but 
actually  a  king  who  ruled  over  the  children 
of  pride.     This  is,  evidently,  preposterous. 

Consequentl}'  the  inference,  that  this  descrip- 
tion is  not  intended  to  be  taken  literally. 

But  who  are  these  children  of  pride  f  The 
Chaldee  supposes  that  the  offspring  of  fishes  is 
here  alluded  to,  as  the  leviathan  was  looked  upon 
as  a  terrible  sea  monster. 

Some  suppose  tliat  by  the  children  af  pride 
are  meant  the  Egyptians,  as  the  crocodile  was 
one  of  their  principal  divinities. 

But  even  admitting  that  the  crocodile  was  one 
of  their  divinities,  is  it  certain  that  Job  alludes 
here  to  a  crocodile! 

Can  it  be  shown  that  a  crocodile,  or  any  of 
the  Egyptian  divinities  or  kings,  ever  bore  the 
name  of  leviathan  ? 


342  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

The  reader  has  noticed  that  throughout  this 
description  the  leviathan  has  been  constantly 
represented  as  the  most  formidable  and  fearless, 
the  most  powerful  and  invulnerable  of  all  mon- 
sters, either  on  land  or  on  sea.  Would  it  not 
then  be  more  natural  to  suppose  that,  if  he  is  to 
be  made  a  king — figuratively  speaking — he  should 
be  proclaimed  such  over  that  class  to  which  he 
belongs ;  the  same  as  it  is  said  of  the  lion  that 
he  is  the  king  of  beasts^  but  not  of  birds,  nor  of 
the  fishes  of  the  sea  ? 

By  children  of  pride ^  then,  would  be  more  espe- 
cially meant,  all  those  of  his  class  over  which 
he  predominates  by  his  great  superiorit}'^  in 
strength  and  power.  In  fact  the  original  words 
(fD&J^  *!??)  have  also  the  meaning  of  sons  of 
strength. 

We  have  seen  that  the  leviathan  is  of  a  most 
fiery  and  imperious  nature ;  that  he  is  proud 
of  his  enormous  strength,  and  that  he  seems 
conscious  that  "  might  has  made  its  dwelling 
place  within  his  neck."  His  self-confidence  and 
stubbornness  are  so  great  that  "he  fears  nothing,'' 
not  even  the  lightnings  nor  the  thunderbolts 
from  heaven. 

Surely  such  a  one  is  well  entitled  to  the  name 
of  king  over  all  the  progeny  of  the  fiery,  and 
proud,  and  strong-necked  ones  of  his  class,  and 
even  of  any  other  that  may  tread  the  dust. 

If  it  be  our  fearless,  and  powerful,  and  fiery 
monster,  which  is  here  referred  to, — and  I  hope 
to  have    conclusively  established    this  fact    from 


IN  THE  HOOK  or  JOB.  343 

the  beginning — then  these  children  of  py-idr^ 
over  which  this  monster  is  said  to  be  king,  must 
refer  to  onr  various  modes  of  developing  power. 

The  meaning,  then,  of  this  passage  would  be, 
that  the  steam  engine,  as  a  motive  power,  pre- 
dominates, or,  is  king  over  all  other  conceptions 
of  power. 

What  a  grand  and  sublime  denouement  to 
this  ever-famous  description;  its  hero  is  finall}' 
crowned  and  proclaimed  king  over  all  those  of 
his  race. 


"  Non  est  potestas  suj)tr  terram 
quae  compararetur  ei."  (Vulgate.) 


Job  is  not  the  onl}'  one  among  the  sacred 
writers  who  makes  mention  of  the  Icxiathan. 
We  find  it  also  referred  to  in  Isaia,  and  in  the 
Psalms  ;  and  I  can  see  no  good  reason  for  suppos- 
ing that  these  inspired  writes  had  any  other  mon- 
ster in  view  than  the  one  described  in  the 
book  of  Job ;  otherwise,  I  could  not  understand 
why  they  should  describe  him  as  the  leviathan. 
Many  writers  are  of  contrary  opinion,  but  I 
can  easily  perceive  that  it  is  because  they  did 
not  understand  the  true  reference  of  the  original 
one  mentioned  in  Job.  If  my  views  be  correct 
they  will  undoubtedly  help  to  throw  light  on 
the  great  and  unsolved  difficulties  we  meet  with 
in  these  new  passages,  and  possibly  reveal  to  us 
that  certain  prf>phecics,  made  in  connection  with 
this  leviathan,  refer  to  these  very  days  instead, 
as  heretofore  supposed,   to  those  of  Pharaoh. 


344  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

In  Ps.  Ixxiv.  14,  is  found,  according  to  most 
versions,  the  following  passage :  "  Thou  breakest 
the  heads  of  the  leviathan  in  pieces,  thou  gavest 
him  to  be  meat  to  the  people  inhabiting  the 
wilderness."  This  passage,  as  it  now  appears  in 
the  Hebrew,  is,  undoubtedly,  a  most  difficult  one 
to  understand. 

Nowhere  in  Job  have  we  found  it  mentioned 
that  the  leviathan  had  more  heads  than  one. 
Commentators,  therefore,  have  been  greatly  per- 
plexed with  this,  apparently,  insurmountable 
difficulty,  which  could  not  be  solved  by  any  of 
their  expressed  views  concerning  the  identity  of 
the  one  mentioned  in  Job. 

What  must  we  now  infer  from  these  words 
of  the  Psalmist?  According  to  the  views  I  have 
already  expressed,  this  leviathan  is  the  same  one 
mentioned  in  Job ;  and,  a"^.  I  hope  to  have  shown, 
none  other  than  our  own  fier}''  monster.  Literally, 
this  one  has  no  heads.  Consequently  I  look 
upon  the  word  heads  as  being  intended  here  in 
a  figurative  sense,  the  same  as  the  numerous 
expressions  met  with  in  this  description. 

As  to  the  word  rendered  thou  breakest  in  pieces  ; 
it  has,  primarily,  the  meaning  of  to  shatter,  to 
break.,  or  divide  in  many  sections.,  yet  not  so  as 
to  separate  entirely  the  parts  thus  broken. 

This  peculiarity  of  the  word  is  of  vast  im- 
portance to  us  in  this  instance,  as  will  be  soon 
perceived.  Thus,  I  render  this  passage :  ''  Thou 
breakest  (or,  dividest)  in  many  sections  the  heads 
of  the  leviathan." 


IN    THK    BOOK    OK   JOl!.  345 

In  this  sense,  these  heads  iiuiy  be  easily  un- 
derstood of  our  various  branches  and  S3'stems  of 
railways  which  are,  in  one  sense,  broken  into 
many  sections  or,  divided  the  one  from  the  other, 
yet  not  entirely  separated.  Railroad  companies 
arc  j^encrally  interested  in  centering  together  at 
various  points,  thus  forming,  as  it  were,  a  united 
system  of  railways,  yet  broken  up  into  many 
sections.  Thus,  indeed,  the  leviathan  may  be  said 
to  have  many  heads. 

Again,  these  various  companies  may  well  be 
said  to  be  so  many  heads  of  the  same  fiery  mon- 
ster, as  he  is  the  chief  motor  among  them  all. 
That  these  heads  of  the  leviathan  may  refer  to 
various  railroad  companies,  seems  to  gain  strength 
also  from  the  words  of  Job,  chap.  xl.  6 :  "  Com- 
panies will  feast  upon  him." 

We  might  take  also  another  view  of  the  applica- 
tion of  the  words,  "  Thou  dashest  in  pieces  the 
heads  of  the  leviathan,"  by  supposing  that  the 
writer  actually  saw,  in  vision,  two  leviathans 
dashing  one  another's  heads  in  pieces. 

This  fact  is,  at  least,  quite  pos.sible,  and  would 
be  here  an  astonishing  forecast  of  an  almost 
daily  occurrence  on  our  railroads,  viz.,  a  collision, 
where  two  powerful  and  almost  indestructible 
locomotives  dash  one  another's  heads  in  pieces. 
Although  this  would  seem,  at  first  sight,  to  he 
the  most  natural  interpretation  of  the  original, 
yet  this  meaning  would  not  agree  as  well  with 
the  sentiments  expres.sed  in  the  balance  of  the 
verse,  which   seem  to    demand  that    this  monster 


34^  A    WONDERFUL    DISCOVERY 

of  power  should,  indeed,  branch  off  into  various 
directions,  in  order  to  fulfill  his  great  mission 
of  supplying  food  to  people  inhabiting  unproduc- 
tive and  desert  places ;  a  mission  which  he  could 
not  accomplish  were  the  Lord  bent  upon  dashing 
his  head  in  pieces. 

As  to  the  second  hemistich  of  the  above  verse  ^ 
it  has  equally  puzzled  the  most  learned  exegetists. 
Some  suppose  that  here  allusion  is  had  to  Pharaoh 
compared  with  the  leviathan,  viz.,  the  crocodile. 
Others  suppose  that  some  enormous  sea  mon- 
ster having  the  form  of  a  sea-serpent  is  here 
meant.  But  I  cannot  see  the  slightest  reason 
for  these  suppositions. 

I  do  not  know  that  Pharaoh's  name  has  ever 
been  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  leviathan^ 
altltough  it  has  been  with  that  of  other  monsters. 
Then,  if  this  leviathan  referred  to  a  marine  mon- 
ster or  serpent,  how  could  his  dead  carcass  be 
said  to  have  been  intended  to  be  meat  to  the 
people  inhabiting  the  wilderness ;  for  a  wilder- 
ness is  generally  understood  to  be  a  region  un- 
cultivated* and  uninhabited  by  human  beings? 
If  it  be  claimed  that  the  people  of  a  dry  and 
sandy  desert  are  here  meant,  then  this  leviathan 
cannot  be  a  sea  monster,  for  there  are  few  rivers 
and  fewer  seas  to  be  found  in  the  midst  of  a  dry 
and  sandy  desert. 

Moreover  how  could  such  a  terrible  and  invul- 
nerable monster,  as  Job  represents  this  leviathan 
to  be,  ever  be  captured  by  the  weak  and  primi- 
tive implements  of  a  wild  people  ? 


IK    THK    HOOK    Ol-    JOH.  347 

On  the  other  liand,  it  cannot  be  supposed  that 
the  Lord  here  intended,  as  sonic  claim,  that  these 
people  should  live  on  the  dead  carcass  of  a  huj^e 
serpent,  whose  remains  nu'o-/,/  hp  cast  ashore. 
Finally  I  would  ask,  when  and  where  did  the 
Lord  ever  break  in  pieces  the  heads  of  the  croco- 
dile or  of  some  sea  monster  and  give  his  body  "  to 
be  meat  to  the  people  inhabiting  the  wilderness  "? 

The  people  supposed  to  be  alluded  to  here  could 
not  have  been  the  Jews.  They  never  would 
have  eaten  the  flesh  of  such  a  monster  even 
alive,  much  less  after  he  had  been  thus  muti- 
lated and  cast  ashore. 

It  is  evident  that,  to  this  day,  no  interpreta- 
tion of  the  leviathan  has  solved  the  difficulties 
of  this  passage. 

Now,  if  we  refer  to  the  original  Hebrew,  we  will 
find  that  the  strictest  and  most  plausible  version 
of  it,  is :  "  Thou  givest  this  one  food  for  the 
people  of  desert  places,  (dr}^  places),"  which  is 
quite  a  different  thing  from,  "  thou  gavest  him 
to  be  meat  to  the  people  of  the  wilderness." 

My  rendering  would,  undoubtedly,  have  seemed 
an  absurdity  to  those  who  saw  nothing  in  the 
leviathan  but  a  crocodile,  or  a  huge  sea-serpcni. 
But,  taking  it  as  referring  to  our  modern  monster 
of  power,  and  our  vast  systems  of  railways,  we 
can  at  once  realize  the  propriety  and  beauty  of  the 
original;  for,  indeed,  our  railroads  carr}^  an  abund- 
ance of  food  and  a  variety  of  products  to  people 
who  inhabit  dry  and  unproductive  lands,  or  places 
where  various   commodities   of  life  cannot  be  had. 


348  A    WONDERFUIv   DISCOVERY 

By  this  means  the  abundance,  of  fertile  countries 
is  transported  rapidly  and  economically  into 
others  less  favored.  Therefore,  in  all  truth  it  can 
be  said  of  our  monster  of  power  that,  the  Lord 
Himself  furnishes  him  food  for  the  people  of 
desert  or  impoverished  places. 

It  is  important  that  we  should  take  notice  that 
the  author  of  these  Psalms  expresses,  in  the 
above  verse,  the  very  same  idea  which  Job  does 
in  chap.  xli.  22,  viz.,  "  Distress  fleeth  at  his 
presence,"  which  means  that  wherever  the  rail- 
roads penetrate,  the  distress  or  wants  of  those 
localities  is  at  once  relieved,  yea,  it  ^vtM  flees  away. 

All  will  agree  that  the  above  words  of  Job, 
when  viewed  in  their  possible  application  to  our 
great  common  carrier,  and  to  the  rapidity  of  our 
steam  transit,  reveal  a  beauty  and  poetry  un- 
excelled ;  but  that  this  suddenly  fades  when  the 
words  are  forced  to  apply  to  anything  else. 

Again,  in  chap.  xli.  10,  we  find  this  same  idea 
of  food^  provisions^  etc.,  being  brought  to  this 
monster,  thus  expressed  :  "  Indeed,  they  will  bring 
forth  unto  him  the  produce  of  the  mountains." 

From  all  this  I  would  conclude  that,  the  levia- 
than of  the  Psalmist  and  that  of  Job,  are  identical ; 
and  that  my  views  concerning  the  nature  of  this 
monster  must  be  correct,  since  the  same  inter- 
pretation solves  so  readily  the  new  difficulties 
we  meet  with  in  this  passage,  and  agrees  so  per- 
fectly with  the  requirements  of  the  original  text. 

Again,  in  Ps.  civ.  26,  we  read :  "  There  the 
ships  go  to  and  fro,  and  leviathan  that  one  which 
thou  hast  formed  to  sport  therein." 


IN  THK  HOOK  OK  ]on.  349 

The  idea  expressed  here  by  the  Psalmist  is, 
that  the  Lord  had  formed  or  so  devised  this  mon- 
ster that  it  could  sport  in  the  sea. 

The  primary  meaning  of  ("*V*j  yatsar^  is  not  lo 
create^  but  to  forrn^  to  fashion^  and  it  is  to  be 
taken  here  iu  this  sense.  If  any  other  meaning 
was  intended  here  it  would  be  most  probably 
that  of  to  restrain^  to  confine^  from  the  root  ("^VI*) 
atsar.  And  the  idea  would  be  that,  although 
this  monster  was  a  most  dangerous  one,  yet  the 
Lord  had  provided  that  he  should  be  so  restrained 
and  confined  that  men  might  sport  (13)  with  him 
in  safety. 

No  one  will  deny  that  this  passage  agrees,  in 
a  wonderful  manner,  with  the  various  purposes 
of  pleasure  and  sport  to  which  the  steam  engine 
of  our  days  is  adapted  ;  and  with  the  progress 
which  has  been  made  iti  so  restraining  and 
securely  confining  its  dangerous  forces,  that  men 
now  sjoort  with  him  in  safety. 

Here  the  inspired  writer  would  seem  to  refer 
to  a  steamship,  or  a  steam  yacht  built  for  pleasure  ; 
whilst,  in  the  previous  quotation,  he  refers  to  our 
railroads. 

This,  and  the  previous  verse  of  the  Psalmist, 
prove  that  this  monster  must  have  been  one  capa- 
ble of  living  and  sporting  freely  in  mid-ocean,  and 
that,  consequeutl}^,  he  could  not  have  been,  exclu- 
sively, a  river  animal,  such  as  the  crocodile. 

In  reference  to  this  same  leviuthan,  another 
very  Startling  passage,  both  to  nie  a-nd  to  the  wiiole 
world,  is  found  in  the  book  of  Isaia,  chap,  xxvii.  i. 


350         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

That  which  renders  this  passage  of  peculiar 
interest  to  us  is,  its  evident  association  with  pro- 
phecies of  extraordinary  events  which  are  to 
happen  at,  or  about,  the  time  when  something 
unexpected  will  take  place  concerning  this  same 
leviathan. 

If  the  latter  be  our  modern  engine  of  power, 
then  we  may  expect  to  witness  the  fulfilment  of 
some  of  these  prophecies. 

The  passage  above  referred  to  is  a  very  diffi- 
cult one,  consequently  it  has  been  variously  ren- 
dered and  interpreted. 

In  most  English  versions  it  reads  as  follows : 
"  In  that  day  the  Lord,  with  his  sore  and  great 
and  strong  sword,  shall  punish  leviathan  the 
swift  serpent,  and  leviathan  the  crooked  serpent ; 
and  he  shall  slay  the  dragon  that  is  in  the 
sea." 

Now,  instead  of  "  zvith  his  sore  and  great  and 
strong  sword,"  (l^")!!?)  ;  I  consider  that  we  should 
render  here,  ^^  in  his  un3delding  and  great  and 
strong  sword."  The  prefix  heth  having  both 
meanings.  And  that  instead  of  "  leviathan  the 
crooked  serpent,"  we  should  read,  "  leviathan  a 
serpent  turning  (or  revolving)  rapidly ;  "  for  such 
is  also  the  meaning  of  the  word,  according  to  our 
best  lexicons. 

It  is  also  evident  that  the  expression  to  punish^ 
does  not  render  the  meaning  intended  here  by 
the  Hebrew  word.  In  the  original  the  word  ("IpB) 
pakad^  rendered  to  punish,  means  primarily,  to 
light  iLpon^  or,   to    strike   against    a  thing,    in   the 


IN    THK    BOOK.    OF   jOH.  35! 

same  sense  in  which  we  often  say  Ac  lit  upon 
it,  or,  he  struck  it,  for  he  discovered  it.  Then  it 
means  to  visit,  to  review.  Tlien  to  visit  ivith 
punishment. 

I  am  satisfied  that  here  the  original  word  should 
be  taken  in  its  favorable  sense,  viz.,  to  visit,  to 
review  a  second  time ;  or  to  liQht  upon.,  to  strike 
ai^ainst  a  thing  in  the  sense  of  discoverin^r  it. 

As  to  the  preposition  (pV.)  al  it  should  be  ren- 
dered here,  concerning,  and  not  upon. 

So  far,  then,  this  would  reveal  to  us  that  the 
Lord,  instead  of  punishing  or  killing  this  levia- 
than, will,  on  the  contrary,  cause  a  review  to  be 
made  concirnijig  this  monster ;  or,  will  cause 
some  one  to  strike  against  him  or  discover  him 
as  if  by  chance ;  and  this  discovery  is  to  be 
n.iade  in,  or,  by  7neans  of  a  something  here 
(figuratively)  called,  "  His  unyielding  and  great 
and  strong  sword." 

Before  explaining  the  meaning  and  reference 
of  this  great  sword,  it  will  first  be  necessary 
to  elucidate  the  balance  of  this  verse,  as  evi- 
dently an  error  has  crept  in  which,  if  unex- 
plained, would  cast  a  doubt  on  the  correctness 
of  the  meaning  which  I  have  attributed  to  that 
which  precedes  it.  I  refer  to  the  expression  P^^lll) 
veharag,  rendered :  "  And  he  shall  .slay."  The 
entire  passage  is  translated  almost  universally,  as 
follows  :  "  And  he  shall  slay  the  dragon  that  is 
in  the  sea."  According  to  the  present  Hebrew 
editions  it  reads  :  (:  D.J^  "ItTN*  pinnTIX  T\Xy)  veharag 
ath-hattannin   asher  havyam.     After  a   tedious   in- 


352  A    WONDERFUL    DISCO VHRV. 

vestigation  of  this  and  other  passages,  I  am 
thoroughly  convinced  that  the  word'(pi'!l)  tannin 
means  a  fiery  monster^  or  one  giving-  forth  smoke 
repeatedly,  hem  (Jfl)  //2«  furnace,  and "  p1^)  ?26^z/r, 
fire ;  or  ([jr')  tanan,  Syriac  and  Chaldaic — to 
smoke  ;  hence  oven,  furnace. 

Undoubtedly  reference  is  had  here  to*'  a  mon- 
ster full  of  fire  and  repeatedly  emitting  smoke 
like  a  furnace,  and  that  it  goes  (or  is)  in  the 
sea.  It  seems  evident  that  the  steamship  is  here 
meant.  In  this  light,  then,  it  would  be  very 
doubtful  that  the  Prophet  Isaia  ever  intended  to 
say  that  the  Lord  would  slay  [TSTX)  the  steam- 
ship. 

Let  us  therefore  leave  out,  for  a  moment,  the 
doubtful  word   P'^H)   harag,  to  slay. 

Then  this  entire  verse  would  read :  '^  In  that 
day  the  Lord,  in  his  unyielding  and  great  and 
strong  sword,  shall  make  a  review  (or  cause  a 
review  to  be  made)  concerning  leviathan,  a  ser- 
pent passing  through  swiftly,  and  concerning 
leviathan,  a  serpent  turning  rapidly  ....  this 
same  one  is  the  fiery  monster  that  is  in  the 
sea."  No  one  will  deny  that,  so  far,  this  is  a 
most  literal  translation ;  and  that  leviathan  must 
be  a  fiery  monster  that  goes  on  land  as  well  as 
in  the  sea ;  the  same  as  described  in  the  book 
of  Job.  This  swift,  fiery  and  self-turning  levia- 
than, says  Isaia,  is  the  very  same  fiery  monster 
that  is  in  the  sea.  This  is  just  what  our  modem 
monster  of  power  is.  As  a  locomotive,  with  a 
train  of  coaches,  it  is  as  a  huge  serpent  passing 


IN    THE    I300K    OF  JOB.  353 

throngh  swiftly  and  turning  itself  rapidly.  As 
a  marine  engine,  it  perambulates  through  the 
sea  with  ease  and  rapidity,  a  veritable  fiery 
monster,  smoking  like  a  furnace. 

To  complete  the  elucidation  of  this  difficult 
verse  there  remain    now  but  two  points  to  solve : 

1.  The  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  word  (-3'!1«7) 
harag. 

2.  The  meaning  of  that  great  and  wonderful 
sivord  of  God. 

As  to  the  word  {T\T\)  harag.,  rendered  to  slay^ 
I  am  thoroughly  convinced  that  it  originally 
read  {T\T\)  cJiarag,  and  that  the  letter  (H)  chetli 
was  mistaken  for  the  letter  (n)  he.  This  change 
might  be  due  to  the  difficulty  of  distinguishing — 
in  an  old  and  partially  obliterated  manuscript — 
between  these  two  letters,  as  the  one  naturally 
differs  but  very  little  from  the  other. 

Taking  {^^)  diarag^  as  the  original  word  it 
would  then  mean  io  leap,  to  be  m  constant 
motion  or  trepidation.  Applied  to  the  leviathan 
this  would  indicate  that  he  leaps  continually,  in 
other  words  that  he  is  continually  in  motion, 
running  without  ever  seeming  to  stop. 

Assuredly  this  is  most  wonderfully  true  of 
our  steam  locomotive  which  runs  hundreds  of 
miles  without  stopping;  in  fact,  the  onl}'  limit  to 
its  course,  is  that  of  supplies. 

When  at  full  speed  the  up  and    down   motion 

of  its  ponderous  connecting   rods  gives  it,  indeed, 

the  appearance  of  a  moiister  continually  leaping 

forward. 
23 


354         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

We  have  seen  that  Job,  in  his  description  of 
the  behemoth,  (chap.  xl.  17,)  calls  these  very  same 
connecting  rods,  his  leaping  pm^ts^  or,  his  thighs. 
It  is  in  fact  by  means  of  these,  in  connection 
with  the  steam-chest,  that  the  steam  engine 
propels  itself,  or  sets  ponderous  machinery  in 
motion. 

There  remains  now  but  one  more  secret  con- 
cerning the  reference  of  this  passage  ;  it  is  the 
secret  of  the  meaning  of  that  mighty  sword,  which 
the  prophet  says,  is  the  unyielding,  and  great,  and 
strong  sword  of  God.     To  what  can  it  refer? 

It  is  not  the  sword  of  the  leviathan,  but  that 
of  God. 

Most  commentators  pass  it  over  in  silence,  as 
if  fearing  to  venture  an  opinion. 

A  few  reflections,  however,  may  help  us  to 
solve  this  problem  also. 

In  the  first  place,  it  seems  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  this  sword  is  to  be  understood  in  a 
figurative  sense ;  for  to  assert  that  God  has, 
literally,  such  a  sword,  and  that  he  employs  it  in 
slaying  the  monsters  of  the  deep,  would  be  the 
height  of  absurdity. 

Among  the  many  things  which  might  be  figura- 
tively called  the  sword  of  God^  I  believe  that  the 
most  unyielding  (or  unchangeable)  and  greatest, 
and  strongest  is.  The  Word  of  God,  or  The 
Holy  Bible.  Indeed  St.  Paul,  in  his  Epistle 
to  the  Ephesians  (vi.  17,)  says:  "The  sword  of 
the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God." 

Furthermore,  in  this    sense,  we    can  recognize 


IN  Till',   i'.ooK.  or  JOB.  355 

the  force  of  the  expressions  that  this  sword  or 
WORD  of  God,  is  unyielding,  or  rather  unchange- 
able, and  great,  and  strong.  Now  if  I  be  correct 
in  asserting  that  the  Holy  Bible  is  the  sword 
above  mentioned,  then  it  would  have  to  be  in 
this  great  book  that  the  Lord,  in  that  day, 
would  cause  "  a  review  to  be  made  "  concerning 
the  nature  of  this  leviathan. 

And  what  is  this  review  which  you  have  now 
before  you  ?  May  it  not  be  the  very  fulfillment  of 
this  extraordinary  prophecy  ? 

Most  assuredly  this  is  an  astonishing  and  un- 
expected revelation  to  me,  for  it  finds  me  en- 
deavoring to  do  the  very  thing  that  this  prophecy 
foretells  shall  be  done. 

I  notice  also  that  the  prophet  foretells  that,  at 
about  that  time  a  great  irumpef  shall  be  blown, 
and  that  many  who  were  ready  to  perish,  shall 
be  converted  to  the  true  faith  and  shall  worship 
the  Lord  in  His    Holy  Church,   (Isa.   xxvii.  13). 

Undoubtedly  many  will  now  read  with  astonish- 
ment this  important  and  difiicult  verse.  On  my 
part  I  must  acknowledge  that,  had  I  not  seen  a 
locomotive  and  train  of  coaches  I  could  never 
have  made  any  sense  out  of  the  original  words. 
The  thought  naturally  occurs  to  us  here,  how 
could  Isaia  pen  such  a  correct  description  of  our 
modern  locomotive,  and  at  the  same  time  observe 
that  the  same  monster  could  travel  through  the 
sea,  unless  he  wrote  each  word  under  direct  in- 
spiration, or  saw  in  a  vision,  and  completely  un- 
derstood, the  working  of  our  modern  engines. 


356  A    WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 

Isaia  is  even  more  lucid  than  Job,  for  he 
plainly  tells  us  here  that  this  swift-fleeing  leviathan 
is  the  same'  fiery  monster  that  is  in  the  sea. 
Job,  speaking  of  the  leviathan,  says,  (chap.  xli. 
31,32):  *' He  malieth  the  deep  to  boil  like  a 
pot  .  .  .  ;  He  maketli  a  path  to  shine  after  him." 

Undoubtedly  we  have  now  the  solution  of  Job's 
mysterious  crooked  serpent^  chap.  xxvi.  13,  for  Isaia 
makes  use  of  the  same  words  in  describing  the 
leviathan,  viz.,  (D'lS  ^^))  nachash  barach^  a  swift 
fleeing  serpent ^  one  passing  through  swiftly^  like 
a  bolt. 

Thus  these  most  wonderful  prophecies  are  made 
clear  to  us,  and  I  feel  confident  that  we  now 
understand  v/hat  the  prophet  Isaia  referred  to 
when  he  said :  "  In  that  day  the  Lord,  in  his 
unyielding,  and  great,  and  strong  s-word,  shall 
cause  a  review  to  be  made  concerning  leviathan,  a 
serpent  passing  through  swiftly,  and  concerning 
leviathan,  a  serpent  turning  rapidly  and  continually 
in  motion ;  this  is  the  same  fiery  monster  that  is 
in  the  sea." 

AD    MAjOREM    DEI   GLORIAM. 


IN   THE    COOK    OF  J015.  357 


LITERAL    TRANSLATION 

OP 

THE  HEBREW  VERSES 

CONCERNING 

BEHEMOTH  AND  LEVIATHAN. 

JOB.— CHAP.  XI.. 


V.  15.      Behold  now  one  with  great  heat, 
Which  I  Made  to  be  with  thee  ; 
He  will  consume  fodder  as  well  as  cattle  do. 

V.  16.      Behold  also,  his  strength  depends  on  his  loins ; 
And  his  power  is  within 
The  encircling  parts  of  his  belly. 

V.  17.      His  tail  will  set  upright  lilce  a  cedar ; 
The  ligaments  of  his  thighs 
Will  be  clamped  together. 

V.  18.      His  hollow  bones  are  tubes  of  brass  ; 
His  solid  bones  are  bars  of  iron 
As  if  hammered  out. 

V.  19.      He  is  a  masterpiece  of  the  methods  of  power  ; 
He  that  maketh  him  will  apply  unto  hhn 
His  sword  of  dcslntdion. 

V.  20.      Surely  they  will  bring  forth  unto  him 
The  products  of  the  mountains. 
And  then  the  beasts  of  the  field  will  wear  away, 

V.  21 .      He  will  re.st  beneath  light  shelters 
And  within  a  covering 
Oi  fibrous  reeds  and  clay. 


358  •        A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

V.  22.     Thin  shadings  will  cover  his  shelter ; 
Willows  of  the  valley 
Will  enclose  him  roundabout. 

V.  23.     Behold,  he  will  absorb  a  river  and  will  not  fret 
He  will  trust  though  a  Jordan 
Should  rush  forth  over  its  border. 

V.  24.      He  will  gather  it  up  in  his  fountains 
By  means  of  traps, 
And  with  a  perforated  nozzle. 


LEVIATHAN. 
CHAPTER  XLI. 

V.  I,       Thou  wilt  extend  leviathan  with  a  hook, 
Or  with  a  snare  which  thou  wilt  cause 
His  tongue  to  press  down. 

V.  2.       Wilt  thou  not  place  a  ring  in  his  nostrils, 

And  pierce  through  his  cheeks  with  a  staff? 

V.  3.       Will  he  make  repeated  supplications  unto  thee-? 
Or  will  he  utter  soft  tone's  unto  thee  ? 

V.  4.       Will  he  make  a  covenant  with  thee, 

That  thou  mayest  take  him  for  a  servant  for  ever  ? 

V.  5.        Wilt  thou  play  with  him  as  with  a  bird  ? 

Or  wilt  thou  make  him  fast  to  thy  maidens  ? 

V.  6.        Companies  will  feast  upon  him  ; 

They  will  share  him  among  speculators. 

V.  7.       Wilt  thou  not  fill  his  skin  with  booths, 

And  his  head  with  a  cabin  of  fishermen  ? 


IN   THE   BOOK    OF  JOB.  359 

V.  8.        Place  thy  hand  upon  him  ; 

Be  mindful  of  the  battling  forces, 
And  thou  wilt  add  no  further  questions. 

V.  9.        Behold,  his  confidence  being  deceived, 
Will  not  at  once  his  mighty  form 
Be  spread  asunder. 

V.  10.      There  is  none  so  bold  that  he  will  stir  him  up  ; 
And  none  who  will  then  place 
Himself  before  his  face. 

V.  1 1 .      Who  will  precede  this  one 
And  continue  on  in  safety  ? 
Under  the  whole  heaven  none,  unles';  himself. 

V.  12.      I  will  not  pass  in  silence  his  members, 
Nor  the  matter  of  his  great  powers, 
Nor  the  beauty  of  his  equipment. 

V.  13.      Who  can  strip  off  the  facings  of  his  covering? 
Who  can  penetrate  between 
The  double  lap  of  his  binding  ? 

V.  14.     Who  can  force  open  the  doors  of  his  facings  ? 
The  circuits  of  his  teeth  are  formidable. 

V.  15.      His  strength  depends  on  courses  of  shields 
Closed  up  tightly  with  a  seal. 

V.  16.      They  will  join  one  upon  another,  that  a 

Hiss  of  air  shall  not  escape  from  between  them. 

V.  17.      One  will  cleave  fast  to  another  ; 
They  will  be  caught  together 
That  they  cannot  be  sundered. 

V.  18.      A  light  will  cause  hissneezingsto  shine, 
And  his  eyes  will  be  as  the  eyelashes 
Of  the  morning. 


360         A  WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY 

V.  19.     Out  of  his  mouth  will  leap  forth 

Flaming  torches,  and  glowing  sparks 
Will  slip  themselves  away. 

V.  20,      From  his  nostrils  will  issue  forth  smoke 
As  from  a  boiling  pot  or  caldron. 

V.  21,      His  inhaling  will  vivify  burning  coals  ; 

And  a  flame  will  leap  forth  from  his  mouth . 

V.  22.      Might  will  abide  within  his  neck, 
And  a  desolate  place 
Will  dance  with  joy  at  his  presence. 

V.  23.      The  separable  parts  of  his  flesh 
Are  connected  together, 
All  will  be  made  fast  upon  him, 
Nothmg  will  be  shaky. 

V.  24.     His  heart  will  be  indurated 

Similar  to  a  stone,  and  will  be  made  firm 
As  a  piece  of  the  lower  rocks. 

V.  25.      When  at  his  full  rage  the  most  courageous 
Will  fear,  lest,  from  accidents 
They  should  miss  their  way. 

V.  26.      From  dryness  rendering  him  furious, 
He  will  not  have  power  to  withhold  ; 
The  curved  vault  being  caused  to  break  up, 
And  also  the  armor. 

V.  27.      He  will  esteem  iron  as  straw, 
And  brass  as  rotten  wood. 

V.  28.      The  archer  will  not  make  this  one  flee  ; 

Missiles  of  war  will  be  turned  uuLo  him  as  chalT. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF   JOB.  361 

V.  29.      The  strokes  of  a  hammer  will  be  esteemed  aschafif ; 
And  he  will  rejoice  at  the  poking  of  the  fireman. 


V.  30.      His  underparts  are  hewed  timbers 
Of  the  craftsman  ; 
He  will  spread  an  embankment  upon  the  mire. 

V.  31.      He  will  cause  ^^^^  places 

To  become  as  a  boiling  pot ; 
He  will  make  the  sea  to  appear 
lyike  boiling  ointment. 

V.  y..      His  hinderparts  will  cause  a  path  to  shine  ; 
One  will  think  the  deep  to  be  growing  gray. 

V.  33.      There  is  nothing  upon  earth  comparable  to  him, 

He  that  is  so  constructed  that  he  can  fear  nothing. 

V.  34.      He  will  oversee  all  that  is  great ; 
He  is  indeed  King 
Over  all  conceptions  of  power. 


PSALMS — CHAP.    LXXIV.    14. 

Thou  dividest  into  many  sections 
The  heads  of  leviathan  ; 
Thou  givest  him  food 
For  the  people  of  desert  places. 


CHAP.   CIV.    26. 

There  the  ships  go  to  and  Iro,  and  leviathan 
That  one  which  thou  hast  formed 
To  sport  therein. 


36a  A   WONDERFUL   DISCOVERY 


ISAIA — CHAP.    XXVII.    I. 

In  that  day  the  L,ord,  in  his  unyielding, 
and  great,  and  strong  sword,  shall  cause 
a  review  to  be  made  concerning  leviathan, 
a  serpent  passing  through  swiftly  ;  and 
concerning  leviathan,  a  serpent  turning 
rapidly  and  continually  in  motion  ; 
this  is  the  same  fiery  monster  that  is 
in  the  sea. 


Finis. 


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GAYLORD  #3523PI        Printed  in  USA 


